ELT365 · Day 160 — Authentic vs Adapted Texts: The Trade-Off
Idea — Authentic texts are designed for native speakers; adapted texts are simplified for learners. Neither is always right — the choice depends on level, task,…
ReadEverything, by pillar.
ELT365 · Day 159 — Schema Theory: Why Background Knowledge Beats Vocabulary
Idea — Schema theory (Bartlett) holds that we interpret new information through existing mental frameworks. A learner with rich background knowledge outperforms one with more vocabulary…
ReadELT365 · Day 158 — Pre-Teaching Vocabulary: What to Select
Idea — Pre-teach only the words that block comprehension of the task, not every unknown word. Over-pre-teaching removes the productive struggle that builds incidental vocabulary. Example…
ReadELT365 · Day 157 — Skimming: Getting the Gist in Print
Idea — Skimming means reading quickly for overall meaning — not every word. Readers use titles, headings, first and last sentences, and key words to build…
ReadELT365 · Day 156 — Scanning: Purposeful Speed in Reading
Idea — Scanning means moving quickly over a text to locate specific information — a date, a name, a price — without reading everything. It is…
ReadELT365 · Day 155 — Gist Listening: The One-Question Rule
Idea — A gist task asks one broad question answered by the whole text. Its purpose is to give listening a reason before the detail work…
ReadELT365 · Day 154 — Bottom-Up Processing: Sounds Build Meaning
Idea — Bottom-up processing starts with the signal — letters, phonemes, words — and builds up to meaning. It is essential when context is unclear or…
ReadELT365 · Day 153 — Top-Down Processing: Meaning Comes First
Idea — Top-down processing means using background knowledge, context, and expectation to interpret a text before analysing individual words. The brain predicts before it decodes. Example…
ReadELT365 · Day 152 — What Receptive Skills Actually Are
Idea — Receptive skills — listening and reading — involve taking language in, not producing it. Learners receive far more than they produce, so these skills…
ReadELT365 · Day 212 — Month 7 review — productive skills
Idea — Month 7 covered speaking (accuracy vs fluency, drilling, monitoring, feedback) and writing (process, genre, peer correction, journals). Core principle: production needs preparation and a…
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