Here are some good reading questions from Carrie Ely, a young French teacher and PhD candidate in New York, that strike at the core of reading in a second language class.  I will give some short answers here, but I would be interested in hearing other solutions and expanding on these ideas.

1. What are some interesting activities to do with in-class reading? We spend 1-3 days a week doing reading – novels, stories, etc. What can we do besides straight translation? 

• Acting out passages or whole chapters can be fun.  Ones with lots of action where the class clown’s energy can be put to use are the best.  I wouldn’t overdo it, though. Once, maybe twice per book keeps them wanting more.

• Reader’s theater a la Jason Fritze, where all students have their books in front of them and there are one or two “actors” up in front–which much of the time are mostly props.  Sort of a combination of PQA, acting and reading but they are also reading the text as we go along.

• Sometimes I let students read with a partner on the academic novels once they have had a good start and know what is expected of them.

2. How much do you expect the kids to read on their own outside of class? Is there a minimum, etc.? 

• In Spanish 1 they are required to read outside of class only when they have missed reading time in class.

• Spanish I and II students can also read outside of class for extra credit points IF they do it in front of a parent and the parent signs off on it.  Parents have to sign and say they saw it happen.  If parents are in on the cheating we cannot help kids much.

• We have used reading logs for levels 2-AP with ascending levels of outside reading time required per week. This semester in level III, students self-select a light reading novel to read each month. They have one period per week in class to read it (Tuesdays), but this is not nearly enough time, so they determine how much they need to read outside of class on their own. However the expectation was set first semester with 60 minutes to 90 minutes of required outside reading each week.

3. Do you ever have them read the ‘tougher’ novels on their own? The ones the whole class is working on? Would they be tested on this without going over it first? 

• In my classes we differentiate between Light Reading and Academic Reading. Light Reading is material they can read on their own without any help.  Academic Reading is reading with which they need the help of the teacher to understand well–could be due to language, but also to context (they may not be aware of the history, culture, geography, etc.), complexity (philosophy uses simple words to discuss complex ideas), implications, etc.

• They do not read Academic Reading level materials on their own. In level 1, first semester, Pobre Ana/Pauvre Anne would be considered academic reading, mostly because they cannot believe they could ever even read a novel in the TL–they don’t ever read a entire novel ANYWHERE else (!?).  Also, because I like to point out and expand on the cultural elements (some of them are implied and need to be expanded upon).

• We go over at least the first half of an academic novel together in class and they read the rest alone or with a partner, like Kelly Gallagher says in Readicide, the first part of the book is the deluxe tour and the last part is the economy tour–for the last half they read on their own.  But all along the way the weaker readers can get help from the best reader in the room (me!) if they need it.

• We test on the big ideas in the book to check for deep thinking and reflection rather than only facts and details.  these deep questions are handed out to students BEFORE we start reading the book so they have a reason to read. and know what to look for.

4. When they’re doing these reading projects outside of class… How much other homework would you have them doing? 

• My students have virtually NO other homework besides reading.  The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn  and Stephen Krashen‘s comprehension hypothesis have influenced my thinking greatly here.  Even work outside of class is geared toward comprehensible input. That was (and still is) a big paradigm shift for me.

5. What does your reading program look like on a broader scale? Quarterly, annually? I.e. how many books do you read as a class and on their own? 

• We tend to read 3 academic novels at each level each year; one first semester and two second semester.  Students in level III, IV and AP read one self-selected novel outside of class (except on reading days) each month.

• Level I’s do FVR/SSR for 15 minutes once or twice a week, but I am thinking of bumping that up to 10 minutes every day like Joe Dziedzic and other rock star teachers in the Denver Public Schools are doing–otherwise I talk too much and it is too hard on my voice.

6. The big one: How does this change as they move up in levels? 

• We read typical Blaine Ray/TPRS author novels in levels I and II for academic reading.

• In level III we start to branch out.  The students in my level III classes are reading simplified versions of Gustavo Adolfo Becquer’s classics La corza blanca  and La cruz del diablo right now.

• Level IV and AP typically read novels like El Alquimista, Esperanza renace, Senderos fronterizos, Cajas de carton.  These are not quite what some upper-level teachers would consider “authentic literature” in so far as they are not part of the Spanish literary canon and some are translations, but they are culturally relevant materials that teach culture, promote good discussion, are approaching the level required on the exams and above all are INTERESTING and COMPREHENSIBLE (which means they will actually read these books, rather than seeking other sources and avoiding reading).

Hope this helps.