Eiken Pre-2nd Grade Passage Reading Strategy
Eiken Pre-2nd Grade Passage Reading Strategy
~Practice for understanding English from the beginning without backtracking~
When observing students who struggle with Eiken Pre-2nd Grade reading comprehension passages,
"I know the words, but I can't read it"
is a very common case.
Actually, the reason they cannot read long passages is,
often not a lack of vocabulary,
but a "lack of practice in understanding English from the beginning."
It is not uncommon for this to be the case.
This time, using a passage about shrines as an example,
I will introduce the tips for reading comprehension that I teach my students.
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① First, look at the title
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Shinto shrines
(Shrines)
The moment you see the title,
"This is an explanatory text about shrines"
is what you predict.
You don't have to read a long passage from beginning to end,
you can grasp the theme just from the title.
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② Look for discourse markers
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In English, there are
"signs" that tell you
what is going to be talked about next.
For example, in this passage,
It is said that
Many young people think that
By visiting
will appear.
These are extremely important.
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3. When you see "It is said that"
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It is said that there are more than eighty thousand shrines across Japan.
Here,
"It is said that"
introduces a general opinion.
In other words,
you can predict that
facts or explanations will follow.
Instead of trying to translate everything,
think of it as "Explanation mode activated!"
and proceed.
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When you see "Many young people think that"
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Many young people think that they are sacred power spots.
Here,
"the opinions of young people"
begins.
In English,
Many people think that
Some people think that
Experts think that
Scientists think that
and the like appear frequently.
The moment you see the subject,
"whose opinion it is"
it is important to determine.
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When you see "By visiting"
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By visiting Shinto shrines,
young people also understand their cultural and historical significance.
By ～ing
means
"by doing ～"
indicates a method.
By studying
By reading
By using
By visiting
and the like are frequently seen in Eiken.
When you see 'By',
'an explanation of a method is starting'
is what you should think.
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6. Reading while looking at pictures
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Shinto Shrines
Nowadays, many people in Japan visit Shinto shrines. It is said that there are more than eighty thousand shrines across Japan. Many young people think that they are sacred power spots and try to get spiritual power from the shrines. By visiting Shinto shrines, young people also understand their cultural and historical significance.
Shinto Shrines
Nowadays, many people in Japan visit Shinto shrines.
It is said that there are more than eighty thousand shrines across Japan.
Many young people think that they are sacred power spots and try to get spiritual power from the shrines.
By visiting Shinto shrines, young people also understand their cultural and historical significance.
How do young people understand shrines' cultural and historical significance?
Question
How do young people understand shrines' cultural and historical significance?
For this,
By visiting Shinto shrines.
it is good to be able to answer like this.
This is a common format in Eiken content matching and Q&A questions.
When asked "How...?",
it is good to answer with "By ...ing".
At the Grade Pre-2 level,
it is also very important to utilize pictures.
For example, if there is a photo of a shrine,
shrines
young people
power spots
history
culture
and other content will naturally enter your mind.
Before converting English into Japanese,
let's visualize it first.
English is essentially,
not text, but imagery.
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⑦ Read Aloud
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The most effective way to improve your reading comprehension skills is
reading aloud.
① Understand the content
↓
② Read aloud
↓
③ Read 30 times
↓
④ Recite from memory
↓
⑤ Write in English
Repeat this process.
In my classroom,
"reading aloud 30 times"
is strictly enforced.
English is not about memorization.
It is about reflex.
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⑧ How to read Pre-2nd Grade passages
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Do not follow the words one by one.
Do not look for grammar.
Do not try to translate.
First,
follow the
"flow of the story."
In this case,
there are many shrines
↓
young people think they are power spots
↓
they visit the shrines
↓
they understand the culture and history
is the flow.
Once you can see this flow,
long passages become surprisingly easy to read.
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Summary
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The key points for mastering Eiken Pre-2nd Grade long passages are:
1. Look at the title
2. Look for discourse markers
3. Utilize pictures
4. Understand from the beginning
5. Read aloud
.
Stop reading backwards and
by continuing to practice understanding English from the beginning,
both your long-form reading and listening skills will improve rapidly.
English is not about memorization.
It is about reflex.
Let's start by reading it out loud again today.
