The Influence of English Extracurricular Reading on Primary School English Learning

【Abstract】English teaching is an important teaching course in primary school education. The primary school stage is the base stage of students’ English learning. Teachers should guide students to develop good study habits， guide students to further understand English and master English learning methods， and language learning is not Reading， reading can help students to master knowledge more quickly， and can also effectively improve the quality of students’ knowledge. As an important part of primary school English teaching， extracurricular reading is of great significance for enriching students’ English knowledge， increasing students’ horizons and improving English teaching level. In the process of modern primary school English teaching， teachers should not only guide students to do in-class reading， but also teachers should pay attention to extra-curricular reading， and further promote the development of students’ ability through extracurricular reading.

【Key words】Extracurricular reading; Primary students

【作者簡介】贾冬梅（1989-），女，北京东城人，北京市大兴区采育镇第一中心小学，小学英语教师，外国语言学及应用语言学，研究方向：英语教育。

1. Introduction

Successful English teaching relies on a large amount of language materials and language exercise. Reading is an indispensable part of language learning. Therefore， reading teaching plays an important role in foreign language teaching. In English learning， reading， especially extracurricular reading， is the same as Chinese learning， allowing students to broaden their horizons， gain knowledge， and continuously consolidate and improve their acquired language knowledge and their ability to use it. At the same time， the old knowledge constantly reappears in the new context， the new language phenomenon frequently appears， through the repeated reading and the reasonable guidance and the help， students can comprehend by analogy， broaden their horizons， and deepen their knowledge. If it is carried out better， students will be able to speed up their English learning， improve the level of reading and understanding， expand the depth and breadth of learning， and lay a solid foundation for future study （Shen， 2010）.The researcher （Chen， 2011） pointed out that the reading failure rate is always high in the examination， and the ability of students to use English is measured by this method. Extracurricular reading and classroom instruction are actually complementary relationship. English classroom teaching in China is aimed at test-taking， from primary school to high school. Most of the students in the classroom are required to recite words， phrases， special sentences， and then read the text several times， and then carry out high-frequency word analysis （the so-called high-frequency word is the key point in the major examination）. Finally， it is followed by a large number of ABCD （choice questions） after class. This is the general process of the Chinese teaching class. It is obvious that this kind of classroom teaching method lacks enthusiasm， fun and creativity. For students with higher grades， fun may be relatively unimportant， but for beginners， especially those who are just getting started， fun and creativity are especially important for them. In this case， extracurricular reading plays a great role. Because extracurricular readings are generally based on stories， masterpieces， biographies， and most of the English readings involve Western history and culture or classics. When students have an interest in English， they will have enthusiasm， and with enthusiasm， they can achieve twice the result with half the effort. Therefore， how to combine these extracurricular reading materials with teaching materials to stimulate students’ interest and enthusiasm in English learning， to help students better master language knowledge and develop comprehensive application ability is a new subject that the times have given us.

2. The role of extracurricular reading in primary school English

2.1 English extracurricular reading in primary school enriches the language of the students

Through the development and utilization of English reading resources， the students’ reading surface is expanded， the students have learned the authentic English and enriched their language （Luo， 2008）

2.2 English extracurricular reading in primary school improves students’ interest and motivation in learning English

If the developed English reading resources are in line with the students’ hobbies， and the topics offered to the students are mostly what they like， the students’ reading behavior will be more active and the interest in learning English will be more intense. The researcher （Luo， 2008） showed that the rich reading resources bring endless reading pleasure to students， which greatly promotes students’ classroom English learning.

2.3 English extracurricular reading in primary school improves students’ confidence in learning English

Through a large number of extracurricular readings， the students’ in-class language knowledge can be constantly reappeared and consolidated， further increasing students’ extracurricular knowledge and improving their English learning scores. The development of reading activities provides a stage for students to display and satisfy their desire to express themselves （Lin， 2001）. The evaluation of “Reading Star” and the development of campus oral English examination activities enable students to experience success and obtain a sense of achievement and enhance their self-confidence in learning English.

2.4 English extracurricular reading in primary school improves students’ English reading ability

During the development of the reading activity， the teacher gives the students guidance on reading skills， such as teaching students to read keywords， guessing the meaning of words according to the context and so on， so that students can constantly try and practice in reading practice （Wang， 2013）. A large number of instructive reading training has greatly improved the reading speed of students and their reading ability has also been greatly developed （Schallert， 1980）.

3. The present situation of English extracurricular reading in primary Schools

3.1 Insufficient attention is paid to primary school English reading

Zhou （2014） showed that in the current primary school English teaching， teachers have insufficient understanding and attention to extracurricular reading， ignoring the primary school English reading teaching. Therefore， students also neglect extracurricular reading because of the lack of guidance from teachers. In addition， teachers did not arrange time for primary school extracurricular reading courses. Lin （2001） pointed out that because primary school students have less knowledge of English， there are many problems in English reading， however， teachers cannot carry out extracurricular reading teaching due to their time and curriculum setting.

3.2 English reading materials are less in primary school

Primary school English is mainly to learn the letters and pronunciation of English， students in the upper grades of primary school just learn simple dialogue， so the materials for reading in primary school English are limited. Especially in some schools with relatively backward conditions， there is not enough funds to purchase some extracurricular English reading materials （Hao， 2012）. In addition， because parents of students do not care about English learning for primary school students or do not understand English knowledge in primary schools， they often choose inappropriate English materials when choosing English extracurricular reading materials. This is not only helpful for primary school students’ English teaching， but also misleading to the English learning of primary school students （He， 2005）. Teachers also lack of attention to English extracurricular reading， and there is not enough understanding of primary school English extracurricular reading materials. Therefore， the extracurricular reading of primary school students has not been effectively realized.

3.3 There is insufficient guidance in extracurricular English reading

Because primary school students are beginning to learn English， their understanding of English is very limited. Therefore， primary school students’ English reading requires the guidance of teachers to complete their tasks better （Wang， 2013）. However， due to the lack of attention paid by teachers to the extracurricular English reading of primary school students， English extracurricular reading is only the activities carried out by the students themselves， relying entirely on the students’ self-consciousness （Hao， 2012）. Some students have neglected English extracurricular reading because of their lack of interest in English learning. Students who are interested in extracurricular reading because there is no guidance from teachers and lack of methods and skills， the reading effect is not very satisfactory.

4. Solution

4.1 Pay attention to the important role of English extracurricular reading in primary school

English extracurricular reading not only enriches students’ extracurricular English knowledge， but also has a positive effect on improving students’ enthusiasm for English learning. At the same time， it also plays an important role in improving the current level of English teaching in primary school. With the new curriculum reform， primary school English teaching also needs to make appropriate adjustments. Primary school English teachers need to explain or inculcate the important role of English extracurricular reading to students in the future， and actively guide students to read English after class to help them better carry out English reading （Li， 2014）. Primary school students do not know enough about the importance of extra-curricular reading and lack the enthusiasm of reading. Therefore， the researcher （He， 2005） pointed out that teachers should guide students to realize the positive role of extracurricular reading in English learning.

4.2 Increase the materials for English reading in primary school

In the choice of reading materials for English reading， the researcher （Zhang， 2004） pointed out that teachers should give corresponding guidance to help students improve their reading level. English extracurricular reading materials should appropriately expand relevant English essays according to the English level of primary school students， and strengthen students’ understanding of textbook knowledge. Teachers should give guidance on the choice of reading materials and recommend appropriate reading materials based on their interests and knowledge base （Gu， 2005）. In this way， the teacher can also review and consolidate the extended English knowledge in reading in English teaching， and improve the English level of students. At the same time， choosing the books that the students are interested in can improve the reading enthusiasm of students.

4.3 Strengthen the guidance of English extracurricular reading

Pupils lack the initiative and enthusiasm for learning， and it takes a long time for them to accept new things. In view of the characteristics of English extracurricular reading of primary students， teachers need to guide them to improve the quality of their extracurricular reading （Chen， 2011）. In the guidance of reading methods， primary school students preview the entire essay when reading， without word-by-word translation. In the correction of the problem， it is normal for the primary school students to have problems in the English extracurricular reading， and teachers should correct the mistakes in time.

4.4 Pay attention to the organization of extracurricular reading information

English extracurricular reading of primary school students can help them to master more knowledge and understand the relevant western culture. However， many students only read and did not record the knowledge points （Li， 2014）. Gu （2005） showed that pupils need to make relevant records in future English reading， and extract the key points or good sentences seen in the reading， which can promote students to accumulate more knowledge and improve their English level. In addition， in view of the fact that the current primary school students are not active in extracurricular reading， teachers can organize the form of blackboard news competition and encourage students to read after class （Brewster， Ellis and Girard， 1992）. Teachers can arrange assignments for students， let them reflect the contents of extracurricular readings to the blackboard report， and each group or every student can reflect the more important knowledge in their reading into their own handwritten newspaper， then circulated among the students （Lin， 2003）. This will not only stimulate the creativity of students， but also enhance their enthusiasm for reading by adopting a more acceptable and preferred way for such students.

5. Conclusion

Primary school English knowledge plays a key role in the development of primary school students and the cultivation of primary school students’ thinking patterns. However， extracurricular reading as an important part of primary school English teaching has not been given due attention. English extracurricular reading in primary school can enrich the English knowledge of primary school students and promote the enthusiasm of students for learning English. In the future primary school English teaching， teachers need to recommend appropriate English reading materials for students， and effectively guide students’ English extracurricular reading， and promote the improvement of English reading after class.

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