《The Role of Background Information in Extensive Reading Course for English Majors》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《The Role of Background Information in Extensive Reading Course for English Majors（21页珍藏版）》请在金锄头文库上搜索。
1、The Role of Background Information in Extensive Reading Course for English MajorsOutline:I. IntroductionThe purpose and significance of this researchII. The important role of background information in extensive reading courseA. The definition of background informationB. The function of background in
2、formationC. The role of background information in extensive reading course III. Application of background information in extensive reading course A. The present state of extensive reading course teaching for English majorsB. Application IV. ConclusionThe Role of Background Information in Extensive R
3、eading Course for English Majors.Introduction:Extensive reading course is an important course for English majors. The ability to comprehend a text is considered to be the most stable and durable of second language modalities (Bernhardt 1991). It is another way of saying reading plays a vital role in
4、 second language acquisition. Traditionally, reading was viewed as a bottom-up process in a word-sentence-passage sequence, where readers decode the text and rebuild what the writer wants to convey. Thus, extensive reading teaching becomes another style of intensive reading teaching which lies great
5、ly on grammar and vocabulary. When students have trouble understanding the text, they are told that their failure is due to their poor grammar and limited vocabulary. But the fact is not so. Enlarging vocabulary and mastering grammatical rules can help readers to understand sentence structures and t
6、ext organization better and they are effective to some extent, but they are not the only approach.During the past thirty five years, researchers of foreign language teaching had a broad discussion about reading and reading teaching. In this case, they finally did some researches on schema theory and
7、 the role of background information in extensive reading course. In China, there are also some researchers who have undergone this exploration and study to improve their teaching effects.Therefore, this paper aims to discuss the connection between reading comprehension and background information. So
8、me effective methods are provided to equip background information in extensive reading course with its aim at improving extensive reading teaching in a new way. The important role of background information in extensive reading course A. The definition of background informationAt a language teaching
9、angle, background information refers to ones previously acquired comprehensive knowledge or world knowledge and ones special knowledge on a subject. Comprehensive knowledge means learning either in or out of school and an accumulation of a variety of experiences.B. The function of background informa
10、tionBackground information is an important factor to restrict reading process, so it should be contained in extensive reading teaching. Relevant background information can provide reading process with some necessary information which helps readers to comprehend a text better and more easily. Backgro
11、und information can also influence readers way of thinking and attitude towards what the writer writes. By this indirect way, it influences readers reading process. If readers have stored more background information, then they may find that they can explore more information hidden between lines. The
12、 restriction from background information will be greatly relieved. Here is an example taken from college students reading course to illustrate the functions mentioned above.Then I made my big mistake. At the time I was nineteen, had long untidy hair and regarded myself as part of the sixties “youth
13、counterculture”.To comprehend these sentences, readers have to know some information about “youth counterculture”. In fact, “youth counterculture” was firstly used to refer to the group who were against some traditional social values in western countries. They, instead, pursued more individual freed
14、om. But fail to find solutions to resisting all kinds of social disadvantages; they were finally indulged in the liberation of sex, drug-taken and rock music, for the purpose of showing their dissatisfaction to the society. Wearing long hair and strange clothes became their pride and this culture la
15、sted until late 70s. If readers do not have any background knowledge about this, they may find it hard to understand why the police treated “me” like a thief just because of “my” appearance and behavior. But if readers have known this background information previously, they may finish reading this f
16、aster and comprehend it more easily. Therefore, background information can restrict reading process. C. The role of background information in extensive reading courseBackground information plays a vital role in extensive reading course. Chomskys Transformational Generative Theory asserts that reading comprehension begins at the smallest and simplest units and then each single word, sentence and passage carries
