Michael Furmanovsky Ryukoku University
Using Movies with Graded Reader Classics
11:00 - 11:25 4th floor 4S1
 Many of the most popular Graded Reader titles are also British literature classics such as David Copperfield, Pride and Prejudice, North and South, Emma etc. At their best, Level 4-6 Readers based on these novels, can and do capture some of the power and appeal of the original story, despite the need to cut many details of their intricate plots. Almost invariably, however, the compromises involved in making them into Readers, results in a loss of the charm and appeal that characters in the full-length novel possess. It also makes it more difficult for the instructor to use the characters in the book as a vehicle for teaching adjectives related to the personality traits, values and ways of thinking exhibited by these characters. By using short segments from the best movie versions of these novels, however, students who are reading the same novel in a class, can not only enjoy seeing scenes that they have read come to life--a highly motivating experience--but also engage more deeply with the key characters' personalities, thus giving the instructor a chance to teach vocabulary that may not actually appear in the Reader, but is highly appropriate to these characters. This presentation will show how the author has used some of the best TV versions of classics featuring actors who are often familiar to Japanese audiences due to their appearance in movies such as Harry Potter etc, to boost or deepen students’ incentive in finding vocabulary that matches the behavioral characteristics and personality traits that most interested them while reading.
Alison Kitzman Kinki University
Overview of Kindai’s ER Pilot Part 1: 2008 Study and Materials
11:00 - 11:25 4th floor 4S2
 This presentation will start with a brief explanation Kinki University's ER 6-member grant study. Discussion will start with a short run-down of the 2008 pilot, overall goals the team hoped to achieve, and the problems encountered. The English Resource Notebook: Extensive Reading student packet used in the on-going study will also be introduced showing how ER can be easily introduced into standard university classes, by way of our Kinki University Reading ‘Can-do’ List, tips for choosing graded readers, sample assignments to check completion of assignments, and more. Part 2 will continue in the following session.
Thomas Robb Kyoto Sangyo University
The MoodleReader Module for Extensive Reading Quizzes
11:00 - 11:25 2nd floor CALL room
 The MoodleReader freeware module allows teachers to assess their students' understanding of their reading. Quizzes are available on nearly 500 books and can be downloaded from the central moodlereader.org site. The system has been running successfully since April 2008 at Kyoto Sangyo University, with nearly 3000 students.
Atsuko
Takase Kinki University and Akio Furukawa SEG
SSS & SSR: Two Tips For A Successful ER
Program Of All Ages
11:35 - 12:00 4th floor 4S1
  The popularity of Extensive Reading (ER) population has been rapidly growing among people of all ages in Japan. Two critical tips – to start reading with simple stories (SSS) and Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) – have brought successful extensive reading (ER) programs to many ER classes at various institutions from junior high schools to universities. Using the SSS method, learners are motivated to read many easy books at the beginning of the ER course. By reading these books learners become able to recognize words automatically, and their reading speed increases. This enables learners to shift smoothly to higher levels of books. By completing many books they feel a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence. SSR gives busy students time to read in class, where they can share the joy of reading and information on books with peers. Teachers can give learners appropriate advice on the spot. This presentation introduces four examples of successful ER programs using SSS and SSR from different age groups: junior high school, high school, technical college, and university. Learners were not only motivated to read but showed a great improvement on various proficiency tests such as ACE, SLEP, TOEIC, and EPER tests.
George Truscott Kinki University University
Overview of Kindai’s ER Pilot Part 2: 2009 Program Evolution
11:35 - 12:00 4th floor 4S2
Continuing from Kindai’s ER
Pilot Part 1, this presentation will focus on the ER program in its present state.
Discussion will focus on problems encountered in the pilot ER program and some
of the successes that have been realized in year two. The goals of the program,
classroom procedures, as well as accountability issues (i.e. how to verify that
students are actually completing the reading) will also be discussed. The
modified use of the MoodleReader Module in year two has certainly been a step
in the right direction. Yet problems remain and the Kindai ER program is still
a work-in-progress. This two-part presentation will close with a few of the
remaining issues and problems that need to be addressed before the program is
instituted university wide.
Matthew Claflin Kyoto Sangyo University
The Human Side of a Large MoodleReader ER Program
11:35 - 12:00 2nd floor CALL room
 Kyoto Sangyo University uses the MoodleReader freeware module to track the extensive reading of nearly 3000 students for both English majors and in the general education department. Thomas Robb has presented about this software on numerous occasions. However, any administrator will still be left with questions such as, ‘How do the students and teachers involved react to this system?’ and ‘What sort of on-campus support and facilities are required?’ This presentation will outline the history and reasoning behind the program, the reactions of staff, students and teachers to the program, and outline how the university is currently working to improve the non-software side of the extensive reading program. The presentation may be of interest for administrators of large programs, even if they are not considering using MoodleReader. Please note: due to time restraints, the program itself will not be covered in depth in this presentation.
Kyoko Uozumi Kobe International University
How Can Students Be Motivated In Extensive Reading?
15:00 - 15:25 4th floor 4S1
 In extensive reading, students are expected to read for fun and pleasure. The more enjoyable they find the reading, the more they are naturally motivated to read. The amount of their reading, therefore, can be an indicator to show how much they are interested in reading. This paper is based on the results of an EFL extensive reading program practiced at a university in Japan. Students of different levels (advanced and intermediate) experienced three ways of extensive reading in a year. In the first semester, they did sustained silent reading: 15-20 minutes was given for reading in each class. A very few students read outside class as well. In the second semester, they chose books in each class and mainly read them outside class. At the same time, they were supposed to borrow more than five books in total at the library and read them for homework. After a year, in-class reading turned out to be the most encouraging among the three ways in prompting the students to read in greater quantity at both levels. In extensive reading, not only the quantity but also the quality is important. More closely observed, however, the results of students’ reading show that the quantity has much to do with the quality. In the discussion, factors that discourage students from reading will also be discussed.
Michael ‘Rube’ Redfield Osaka University of Economics
Reintroducing Movie Novelization
15:00 - 15:25 4th floor 4S2
 The purpose of this short paper is to introduce a variant of Extensive Reading to a wider audience. Movie Novelization has been developed and extensively assessed over the last ten years in the Kansai. Movie Novelizations are popular movies transformed into print, faithful to the movie but with the sights and sounds transformed into dialog, interior monologue, narration, and description. They appear after movie releases, and fit somewhere between graded readers and trashy, popular fiction. The Movie Novelization Program is based on the idea that comprehension is a requisite for learning. Simply put, learners must in some way or another understand the meaning of what they encounter in their learning environment, be it in written or oral form, if they are going to learn. MN now uses the first three novels of the popular Harry Potter series of young adult fantasy fiction as the basis for the course. HP was chosen because the movies stick with the original plots very well, MP3 dramatic readings are available, as are L1 Japanese translations. Movie Novelization has shown in a number of studies to be a very effective at providing the comprehensible input necessary for Second Language Acquisition. College aged academic learners studying in MN classes have improved their EFL proficiency, reading, listening, writing, and vocabulary skills. The results apply to both English and non-English majors. MN does take time however. It has not proved to be effective in shorter courses. Both the theory and practice of MN will be discussed, as well as the results of a number of MN assessment studies.
Atsuko Takase Kinki University
Are Female Students Better Readers?
15:00 - 15:25 4th floor 4S3
This study examined the differences of reading performance between male and female students in an EFL context in Japan. A total of 120 university EFL students from two groups participated in an extensive reading (ER) program for one academic year: Group A: 72 freshmen (M = 53, F = 19), Group B: 48 sophomores (M = 48, F = 20). Students from Group A were provided 15-20 minutes of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) in class and also required to read outside of the classroom. Students from Group B had no SSR, and required to read only outside of the classroom. They were suggested to start reading with easy materials and gradually increase the level of books. After 10 months of the ER program, a great gap was observed between the two groups in regard to the amount of their reading and the improvement of English proficiency. When analyzed and compared the data between male and female students in each group, the results showed that the female students read more than the male students in both groups. The reading proficiency of the Group A and female students in Group B showed a significant improvement in the Edinburgh Project on Extensive Reading (EPER) test, however, the improvement of the male students from Group B was statistically insignificant. This difference was due to the students’ attitudes toward reading and the level of the books they read.
Paul Goldberg Osaka Chapter
Challenges In Starting An Extensive Listening Program
15:35 - 16:00 4th floor 4S1
 With the tremendous rise in popularity of extensive reading over the past twenty years, it seems natural that there should be a similar increase in interest in extensive listening. However, this has not been the case. In fact, there has been decidedly little use of, promotion of, or even empirical research regarding extensive listening. For confirmation, one only needs to look at the 2008 JALT National Conference, which included approximately 30 presentations, including a major forum, related to extensive reading and only one presentation specifically related to extensive listening. Evidence suggests that this discrepancy is not completely due to a lack of interest in extensive listening, but rather due to the challenges of setting up an effective extensive listening program. However, while setting up an extensive listening program may be difficult, it is not impossible. Over the past three years, the presenter has developed an extensive listening program for his first and second year English communication courses at a Japanese university. The presenter will share the methods and materials used in setting up the program and explain how these differed from what is typically done with extensive reading. The discussion will also include an account of the challenges that were encountered and the strategies that were employed to overcome those challenges. The presenter will conclude with an evaluation of the program, from both the teacher’s and learners’ perspectives.
Eleanor Kane University Of Shimane
Goal-Setting In Extensive Reading
15:35 - 16:00 4th floor 4S2
 While students often set out with the best of ER intentions at the beginning of the year, all too often good intentions fall by the wayside if teachers have not set clear reading goals or if these goals are not enforced or reinforced by external factors. This short paper describes how ER was implemented in various classes over several years as the instructor developed better mechanisms for monitoring and encouraging more reading. Beginning with self-recorded free reading outside class, moving through report-evaluated free reading, Moodle-based evaluation and record-keeping, then on to SSR during class time, and finally a shift from recording book titles to number of words, this paper will look at various ways of encouraging more reading and increasing the likelihood that students do read what they claim to read, in addition to discussing the merits and demerits of various systems. Students’ reading habits and TOEIC gains under the various systems will also be discussed. This paper will be helpful for teachers considering how best to evaluate and record students’ extensive reading.
Max Praver, John
Eidswick, and Greg Rouault Kwansei
Gakuin University
ER: Interest, Graded Readers, And Reading
Circles
15:35 - 16:00 4th floor 4S3
  
More and more,
extensive reading programs are being launched, especially at universities, in
an attempt to introduce learners to level-appropriate reading materials for
foreign language acquisition. While the motivational variable of interest has been shown to positively
influence engagement, attention and affect in many learning domains,
examination of its impact on the experience of extensive reading has been
sparse. This presentation
reports on a study of interest and attitudes toward extensive reading using
level-appropriate graded readers together with Reading Circles. Reading Circles
are peer-supported learning activities wherein participants take on mutually
dependent and beneficial roles in relation to reading tasks prepared for discussion
of a text. Intermediate students in an intensive English program at a private
university in Kansai reported their pre- and post-reading interest in six
assigned graded readers and these levels were compared. Using the components of
interest drawn from the literature, the reasons for perceived interest, or lack
thereof, were collected and analyzed. Participant attitudes
toward the Reading Circles were also examined in relation to the interest level
of each book used. The findings of
this study have potential benefits for the nomination of class readers for
extensive or graded reading and the advising of learners in the selection of
titles for their own reading.
| Plenary Speaker
Rob Waring Notre Dame Seishin University
Promoting Extensive Reading
13:00 - 13:45 2nd/3rd floor Small Hall
 Not everyone either knows about, or is convinced of the need for Extensive Reading and Extensive Listening. This presentation will set out some of the ways that we collectively can promote ER and EL successfully. The presentation will open by looking at various types of ER/EL that different programs might adopt to suit their needs. This will be followed by examining how each of these types can fit a particular type of curriculum. Then, some arguments will be presented to counter common reasons for not doing ER/EL. The presentation will close by presenting a schematic that helps us identify language programs ready for ER/EL and sets out some guidelines for the participants to help non-ER/EL programs adopt ER/EL.
Pre-Plenary
Julian Warden Oxford University Press How Bookworms Happen
12:45 - 13:00 2nd/3rd floor Small Hall 
Oxford Bookworms have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Find out where Oxford Bookworms came from, how they are put together, where and how they are used, and hear some interesting and amusing anecdotes in this short presentation designed to give you some background to the business of producing and selling Oxford Bookworms.
See Schedule for all times and places and Venue Notes for explanation of the place.
Poster Presenters
14:00 - 14:50 3rd floor 301
Mayumi Asaba Konan University
Greatest Lesson of Life: Using the best seller novel, Tuesdays with Morrie
 This presentation introduces how to use the best selling book, Tuesdays with Morrie, with low to advanced level adult students. I will suggest how to utilize this novel as an extensive reading component for students to read outside of class. My suggestions are based on three years’ experience using this book at Konan University. The novel was chosen for various reasons. First, the level of English is moderate. It is recommended for people who have 470 on TOEIC, which means it is challenging enough for low level students while still providing a great pleasure reading resource for mid to high level students. Also, the chapters are short and easy to follow and can be read sequentially or as stand-alone units. A movie is also available. Most importantly, this book deals with themes that are relevant to students’ lives, such as relationships, feelings, and money. Anyone can relate to the topics discussed in each chapter, and the author introduces them in a way that’s easy for readers to understand. I will describe activities that were intended to make the reading more enjoyable and meaningful. For example, students were instructed to write personalized and meaningful discussion questions that required them to think beyond what was written. After they brought back their questions, the class voted for the best question(s), and they were required to write an essay or paragraph to answer the question(s). Other activities that were successfully used to motivate students and help them understand the material better will be introduced.
Bjorn Fuisting Ryukoku University
The Practicalities of an Extensive Reading Program
 Want to start an ER program? Have one but it isn’t going the way you hoped? Or just want to borrow some ideas? This poster session is for you. The presentation will go through the basics of putting an ER program together and re-organizing one, everything from getting the budget, selecting the books, organizing the levels to activities, book reports and projects you can do. As well as what the students think and where the future of ER is going.
Amanda Gillis-Furutaka Kyoto Sangyo
The Evolution of the Extensive Reading Program at Kyoto Sangyo University
 This poster session is designed to complement the presentations that will be made by Thomas Robb and Matthew Claflin on the current Extensive Reading Program being run at Kyoto Sangyo University. It outlines the development of Extensive Reading at KSU from the early stages of using SRA kits combined with junior fiction, both as in-class and out-of-class activities in the 1990s to the use of software designed for American elementary schools, called Active Reader. The rationale behind each stage, as well as the strong points and drawbacks of these earlier programs will be explained.
Myles Grogan Momoyama Gakuin Daigaku Extensive Reading Meets Computer Literacy  Teachers are always looking for the "home run book" that turns a student into a reader. The goal is to change the perception of reading from an academic chore into something students do for fun. Similarly with computing, teachers seek to change people's feelings about computers, making them something that makes life easier, something fun. Blending these two educational requirements gives an unrivaled opportunity for empowering learners. This session looks at how a simple rubric has been made to shape book reports in an extensive reading program. The reports are produced on English computer software using portable OpenOffice.org. Students are given a specific set of rules to follow in making the report, concerning language points and document formatting. Students work in groups to peer edit the reports on the required points and to keep each other motivated. Thus, students reinforce each others' language and technology literacy.The presenter has been working on such assignments to varying degrees for three years, and details the challenges of setting this up as a program. This includes looking at the students perception of the program in terms of their reaction to reading, and their perception of their technical literacy with regard to completing the assigned tasks. Thomas Koch Kinki University Start with Simple Stories vs. the Input Hypothesis
Many institutions incorporate Krashen’s ‘input hypothesis’ within the fundamental framework of their language programs. Evidence of such a framework is demonstrated by the use of placement tests to assign students to particular classes or the fine-tuned process of choosing level-appropriate textbooks. Many teachers advocating extensive reading (ER) have adopted the ‘input hypothesis’ framework in establishing the guidelines for their ER programs. The result is that students are provided with ER guidelines that encourage or require the reading of books at certain levels that may be beyond the students’ comfort levels. The effect is that these requirements may result in a loss of motivation and impede the students’ natural desire for learning. The Start with Simple Stories (SSS) method encourages students to read at levels at the lower end of their language ability. By evaluating students on the number of words read rather than books or levels, the SSS method creates an environment that is conducive for students to develop the habit of successful reading. Thus, SSS resolves the fundamental issue of choosing appropriate materials. By eliminating a major obstacle to students’ reading, SSS provides the window of opportunity for students to become successful readers in the target language for the rest of their lives. The purpose of this presentation is to examine the input hypothesis, explore how its implementation may be detrimental to an ER program and to discuss how the SSS ER method may be more suitable for many language learners. Patrick Rates Ritsumeikan University
Incorporating Pre-reading Activities Into A Content-based Reading Course
 The purpose of pre-reading activities is to motivate students to want to read the assignment and to prepare them to be able to read it. In other words, pre-reading activities can provide a student with the necessary background to organize and to comprehend the classroom reading material. Accordingly, background knowledge will be of primary importance for ESL readers, and schema-based pre- reading activities should be used for activating and constructing such background knowledge. In reading, meaning is obtained through a successful interaction between the reader and the text, and it is the connections between the reader and the reading material that play an important role in the student’s comprehension. In this presentation I will discuss the pre-reading activities that I incorporated into our content-based English Reading course for Science and Engineering students at Ritsumeikan University. Pre-reading activities that had the desired effect of increasing student comprehension of the science focused reading material by incorporating activities such as: prediction, guessing content, skimming and scanning. Ben Shearon ER/SSR at a National University With Non-English Majors: Things To Think About, Things That Happened, And Things To Do Better Next Time
 The presenter will talk about his experience of starting an extensive reading class at a national university. Planning the class, introducing the concept of extensive reading to students, running the class, evaluating student progress, and assigning grades will be discussed along with actual problems that arose and practical materials that were adopted. Extensive reading is widely acknowledged to be an important part of any language curriculum, yet it receives very little attention in junior and senior high schools. Many universities also lack formal extensive reading programs, and it is often left up to individual teachers to implement programs on their own. This presentation will focus on a case study of one such program, implemented in April 2009 at a national university. The presenter will talk about the planning and implementation of the program, with an emphasis on practical matters such as how to explain ER to students with no experience of it, how to assemble and manage a mini-ER library, and how to assess and evaluate students. Many teachers are convinced of the merits of extensive reading, but find the idea of starting a program daunting. This workshop will provide a clear example of an actual ER class, along with step-by-step instructions on how to set up similar classes. The presenter hopes that this will encourage other teachers to take the plunge and introduce their students to the joys of reading in English. Daniel Stewart Kaisei Academy
Innovations In Extensive Reading – A hands on experience
 This poster presentation will give participants the chance to see and interact with the three innovations described in the Innovations In Extensive Reading column of the Extensive Reading in Japan journal thus far:
ERJ 1.1 The Foundations Reading Library.
ERJ 1.2 Did They Really Read it? A Website for Checking.
ERJ 2.1 Automating Book Sign-out with a Barcode Reader.
An article in a journal can only tell you so much about an innovation. By physically interacting with each innovation it is hoped participants can better understand them and perhaps give suggestions on how to improve them.
ERJ 2009 Conference Coordinators
Daniel Stewart
 Bjorn Fuisting
 Alison Kitzman
 Myles Grogin
Meet the Speaker Dinner A dinner party where you can meet the plenary speaker, other presenters, and other attendees held near the conference venue starting at 5 PM. Please let us know you're coming by registering on the pre-registration site, or before 11 AM on the day of the conference. Let us know if you need a vegetarian option. Waka Chinese Restaurant located 125 meters from Kindai's main (west) gate on Kindai Dori Street
Set menu ¥2980 (drinks separate) Sample menu - sweet and sour shrimp, beef and vegetables, rice, and soup + more dishes All-you-can-drink option available ¥1380 120 minutes - last order after 90 minutes |
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