Recontextualising reading, rethinking teaching: reading in the English medium primary school in Singapore

Abstract

In this article theoretical frameworks of genre theory, reading strategies and situated learning are used to show the complexity of the reading task for pupils in the English medium upper primary school in Singapore. An analysis of text genres from school textbooks of English, maths and science at primary three, shows how reading appropriately in the different disciplines requires the application of specific reading strategies, knowledge and attitudes. Content and process frameworks for teaching reading strategies are considered in the light of the analysis. The article concludes that recontextualising reading in this way involves rethinking the teaching of reading in the English medium primary school which requires teachers to increase our knowledge of discipline specific texts through text analysis and to deepen our knowledge of children's reading by talking to them about it.

Keywords:

• reading
• English
• primary school
• textbook analysis