TEXTO I

English for Specific Purposes

English for specific purposes (ESP) refers to language research and instruction that focuses on the specific communicative needs and practices of particular social groups. Emerging out of Halliday, Macintosh, and Strevens’ (1964) groundbreaking work nearly 40 years ago, ESP started life as a branch of English language teaching, promising a stronger descriptive foundation for pedagogic materials. In the years since, ESP has consistently been at the cutting-edge of both theory development and innovative practice in applied linguistics, making a significant contribution to our understanding of the varied ways language is used in particular communities. Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary influences for its research methods, theory, and practices, ESP has consistently provided grounded insights into the structures and meanings of texts, the demands placed by academic or workplace contexts on communicative behaviors, and the pedagogic practices by which these behaviors can be developed.

HYLAND, K. “English for specific purposes: some influences and impacts”. In: Cummins, J. and Davison, C., (eds.) The International Handbook of English language education. Springer: Norwell, Mass, 2006.

TEXTO I

English for Specific Purposes

English for specific purposes (ESP) refers to language research and instruction that focuses on the specific communicative needs and practices of particular social groups. Emerging out of Halliday, Macintosh, and Strevens’ (1964) groundbreaking work nearly 40 years ago, ESP started life as a branch of English language teaching, promising a stronger descriptive foundation for pedagogic materials. In the years since, ESP has consistently been at the cutting-edge of both theory development and innovative practice in applied linguistics, making a significant contribution to our understanding of the varied ways language is used in particular communities. Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary influences for its research methods, theory, and practices, ESP has consistently provided grounded insights into the structures and meanings of texts, the demands placed by academic or workplace contexts on communicative behaviors, and the pedagogic practices by which these behaviors can be developed.

HYLAND, K. “English for specific purposes: some influences and impacts”. In: Cummins, J. and Davison, C., (eds.) The International Handbook of English language education. Springer: Norwell, Mass, 2006.

TEXTO II

Introduction to reading strategies

As students progress through school, they are asked to read increasingly complex informational and graphical texts in their courses. The ability to understand and use the information in these texts is key to a student’s success in learning. Successful students have a repertoire of strategies to draw upon, and know how to use them in different contexts. Struggling students need explicit teaching of these strategies to become better readers.

• knowledge of different types of texts and the best strategies for reading them.

• multiple and meaningful opportunities to practise reading in subj ect-specific contexts.

• opportunities to practise reading with appropriate resources.

• opportunities to talk about their reading and thinking.

• background knowledge in subject areas.

• expanded sight vocabularies and word-solving strategies for reading subj ect-specific texts.

• strategies for previewing texts, monitoring their understanding, determining the most important ideas and the relationships among them, remembering what they read, and making connections and inferences.

• strategies for becoming independent readers in any context.

Common Understandings About Reading

Reading is the active process of understanding print and graphic texts. Reading is a thinking process. Effective readers know that when they read, what they read is supposed to make sense. They monitor their understanding, and when they lose the meaning of what they are reading, they often unconsciously select and use a reading strategy (such as rereading or asking questions) that will help them reconnect with the meaning of the text. Reading skills and strategies can be taught explicitly while students are learning subject-specific content through authentic reading tasks.

Effective readers use strategies to understand what they read before, during, and after reading.

Before reading, they:

• use prior knowledge to think about the topic.

• make predictions about the probable meaning of the text.

• preview the text by skimming and scanning to get a sense of the overall meaning.

During reading, they:

• monitor understanding by questioning, thinking about, and reflecting on the ideas and information in the text.

After reading, they:

• reflect upon the ideas and information in the text.

• relate what they have read to their own experiences and knowledge.

• clarify their understanding of the text.

• extend their understanding in critical and creative ways.

Students can be taught to be strategic and effective readers. Struggling readers benefit from a variety of instructional approaches that demonstrate reading skills as subject content is taught. Direct teaching, thinking aloud, modelling, discussion, and small-group support are only a few of the approaches teachers use to help students become more strategic and effective readers in different contexts.

Think literacy: cross-curricular approaches, Grades 7-12. Disponível em: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/studentsuccess/ thinkliteracy/files/reading.pdf . Acesso em 22 de novembro de 2018.