Reading Offers Huge Benefits to Individuals, Society
By Joseph Poulshock, Special to the Asahi Weekly, Sunday, June, 29, 2014
Joseph Poulshock, Special to the Asahi Weekly
In Japan, students usually do not read for pleasure in English. They read hard texts, meeting 20 to 30 unknown words on every page. This kind of reading is not a joy. It’s suffering.
Sadly, these learners probably do not know about “tadoku,” or extensive reading (ER). ER is an enjoyable and powerful way to learn English. How do you do extensive reading?
ER has three rules. The first rule is “Read easy.” You should know 95% to 98% of the words in a text. This helps you read without a dictionary and makes reading more enjoyable. ER books are graded into levels, so you can find books at the right level for you. The second rule is “Choose freely.” You are free to choose what you want to read. The third rule is “Read big.” This means read a lot! What happens when you follow these rules? You get results!