Born and raised in China, little did I know the benefit of extensive reading. By going through Mikulecky's book, I realized that it has been so long for me to read a book just for pleasure and the benefits that come along with reading.
In the chapter, Mikulecky talked about that extensive reading can provide students with massive amounts of comprehensible input -- the primary requisite for significant language acquisition. It also pointed out extensive reading foster reading fluency, and allow students to make gains in vocabulary and grammar knowledge. More importantly, it motivates students to read more and foster the development of a positve attitude toward reading in the second or foreign language.
All these benefits reminded me of my experience with extensive reading, which was back in my senior year of high school. At the time, TV show Gossip Girl written by Cecily von Ziegesar was on. I was so crazy about the show that my cousin sent me the first two original series in English. I was so curious to know what happened that I finished reading the books in two days. My family was so surprised by how fast I finished them, considering the fact that English is not my first language. However, what I learned was more than what happened to Serena Van Der Wooden, the leading character of the show/novel. Or that catchy phrase -- "XOXO, gossip girl." Instead, I learned a different lifestyle -- the upper East side lifestyle. I learned what was like to be a New Yorker. I learned what Brooklyn and Upper East side represent. I learned that the novel was not based on imagination, but based on reality. For example, one of the characters is based on the famous American socialite -- Olivia Palermo. Just like what Mikulecky discussed in the book, reading a book written by one person allows a student to develop a print "relationship" with a single native speaker: the author.
In the chapter, Mikulecky talked about that extensive reading can provide students with massive amounts of comprehensible input -- the primary requisite for significant language acquisition. It also pointed out extensive reading foster reading fluency, and allow students to make gains in vocabulary and grammar knowledge. More importantly, it motivates students to read more and foster the development of a positve attitude toward reading in the second or foreign language.
All these benefits reminded me of my experience with extensive reading, which was back in my senior year of high school. At the time, TV show Gossip Girl written by Cecily von Ziegesar was on. I was so crazy about the show that my cousin sent me the first two original series in English. I was so curious to know what happened that I finished reading the books in two days. My family was so surprised by how fast I finished them, considering the fact that English is not my first language. However, what I learned was more than what happened to Serena Van Der Wooden, the leading character of the show/novel. Or that catchy phrase -- "XOXO, gossip girl." Instead, I learned a different lifestyle -- the upper East side lifestyle. I learned what was like to be a New Yorker. I learned what Brooklyn and Upper East side represent. I learned that the novel was not based on imagination, but based on reality. For example, one of the characters is based on the famous American socialite -- Olivia Palermo. Just like what Mikulecky discussed in the book, reading a book written by one person allows a student to develop a print "relationship" with a single native speaker: the author.