师说从漫画进阶英语自主阅读，需要掌握什么能力？

　　去年春天，疫情吃紧，本该上大班的胖宝，近4个月都不得不呆在家里。
　　不过因为这段经历，胖宝倒是读了不少书，更是在此期间以自主阅读的形式，读了大几十本英文章节书。
　　不时有朋友问，我怎么帮助孩子实现英文章节书的自主阅读，我想了下，一是水到渠成，也许水平到了，自己读的基础也有了；二是可以从漫画书读起，因为孩子多半喜欢漫画书，不用家长催，一本接着一本看，自己读的习惯也就建立了。
　　胖宝的英文自主阅读之旅，始于DogMan。恰好，胖宝的老师Anne以DogMan为例，写了一篇关于如何从漫画开始引导孩子做精读的技术贴，特做转载，希望能给更多家长以启发。
　　别担心，虽然原文用英文写的，但我们会对重点区域进行中文翻译~
　　Searching for Context Clues with DogMan!
　　by Anne
　　It’s break time, which means that it’s time to choose a new library book. Let loose in a library with thousands of books, a student has to get the one that will keep them entertained for the next week but that they’ll also have to answer homework questions with.
　　With so many books to choose from, it really is interesting to watch which books are chosen. The first books that are picked out are the comic books.
　　没错，孩子们都爱看漫画书。在一个图书馆有这么多书可供选择，被选中的书必然是很有趣的。那些最先被挑选出来，却总是漫画书。
　　At first the reason seems clear, filled with pictures, the stories are about dragons, super heroes, and flying dogs. These aren’t boring everyday stories. They’re easy to read because there really aren’t a lot of words. From an academic standpoint, it might seem as if this is a bad choice to make. But in fact, comic books are an ideal choice for emerging and young readers.
　　At the moment, one of the most chosen comic books is DogMan. The DogMan series by Dav Pilkey has a flying dog hero, who solves simple but ingeniously silly problems. It’s easy to relate to the hero, DogMan, and usually it’s fairly easy to understand the action.
　　One of the reasons that it is so easy to understand the story is that the pictures clearly illustrate what is happening. Here are all reasons why picking up DogMan is a good choice.
　　漫画书以图为主，单词不多；且故事大多与龙、超级英雄或者飞狗相关，一点都不无聊。以DogMan这本最受欢迎的漫画书为例，其主角是一位狗狗英雄。DogMan系列故事很容易被孩子们所理解，因为书中的图片清楚地说明了正在发生的事情。这就是我为什么认为DogMan也是个不错的阅读选择。
　　DogMan内页
　　没错，从学术角度来看，漫画书不见得是个正确的选择。但实际上，漫画书实际上却是进阶读者和年轻小读者的理想选择。
　　One of the hardest things to teach students is the process of looking for context clues.
　　Using context clues means that a student has performed three critical thinking operations.
　　The first operation is to recognize that something is not understood. This means that the reader is actually thinking about what they are reading.
　　The second is to look around for the information that could be linked to the part that is confusing.
　　The third strategy is to connect the unclear concept with the new information, and to judge whether or not the entire picture now makes better sense.
　　All three of these operations require critical thinking, something that cannot be taught by memory.
　　阅读教学中最困难的事情之一莫过于教会孩子们寻找上下文线索。成功联系上下文线索并推断出语义，则意味着小读者们已经掌握了以下三项独立思考的操作步骤。
　　第一步，认识到某些东西不被理解。意味着读者正在思考他们所阅读的内容。
　　第二步，环顾四周，寻找可能链接到令人困惑部分的文字信息。
　　第三步，将不清楚的概念与新的信息整合起来，并判断整个图文是否意义更明确。
　　这三个操作都需要独立思考的能力，而这些不是靠教授记忆步骤所能学会的。
　　Context comes from Latin and it means literally ＂around the text＂.
　　And that’s the process that needs to be used to understand something from context. A reader needs to go back a few sentences, or maybe even pages, sometimes. Sometimes they even need to be patient and read a little bit ahead. Once a reader knows that they can themselves find the answer to their questions, they feel empowered.
　　The process of actually looking for an explanation can take very little time, however it is vital to understand that you are looking for clues, and that the clues are usually right there in the story. They now have a tool they can use.
　　上下文这个词来自拉丁语，它的意思是＂围绕文本＂。在这个过程中，有时需要读者返回重读几句话、几页；有时他们甚至需要耐心并往后多读一些内容，才会有答案的揭晓。
　　一旦读者知道自己可以找到问题的答案，他们就会感知到自己的这份能力。寻找解释的过程其实耗时不多，但重要的是，他们会意识到自己在寻找线索这个过程，并且懂得了线索就在故事中。这样，他们也就拥有了解锁理解力的工具。
　　One thing that a comic book does, is that it gives clues in the form of pictures! The pictures give additional information to the reader, and help fill in any blanks that there might be from lack of vocabulary. This can be very encouraging to a learning reader, but it also develops the very important skill of looking for information using context.
　　漫画书就是以图片的形式提供了线索的书籍！漫画图片为读者提供了更多信息，并帮助他们填补因词汇量不足而可能出现的理解力空白区。这对于正在学习阅读技巧的读者非常有鼓舞力，同时它也会帮助孩子们发展使用上下文查找信息的重要技能。
　　Choosing a story which interests the reader is key to the first of these critical thinking steps- knowing that you don’t know.
　　More advanced readers are constantly monitoring for their understanding. At a younger age, readers have to be coached to perform this kind of monitoring.
　　A person who is not interested in what they are reading will not notice if they haven’t understood something. They will skim over the words, but will completely miss out on the ideas or characters in a story. This means that the opportunity to look for context clues is lost, but also lost is the opportunity to understand the greater picture.
　　In addition, the chance of using metacognition, where a reader actively says to themself ＂Hey, I didn’t understand that＂ is missed. However, in the absence of a reading coach, the best teacher is the student.
　　When a student learns that they should pay attention to their own understanding, one of the most important comprehension tools is unlocked. This is why it’s important to have a book which is enjoyable and interesting.
　　选择一个让读者深感兴趣的故事是培养独立思考能力的关键第一步：知道自己不知道。
　　更资深的读者会不断检视他们的理解。但在他们小时候，教师必须指导他们学习这种检视。
　　对阅读内容不感兴趣的人是不会注意到他们是否懂与不懂某些东西。他们只会略过单词，完全错过故事中角色的想法。这意味着寻找上下文线索的机会被丢失了，也丢失了失去了了解更多情况的机会。
　　此外，还错过了使用元认知的机会。在这种情况下，读者会主动对自己说：＂嘿，我不明白这一点。＂
　　在没有阅读教师的情况下，最好的老师就是读者自己。当他们意识到注意自己的理解力时，这一最重要的理解工具＂联系上下文寻找线索＂ 便会解锁。
　　这就是为什么要选择一本有趣且让人快乐的书很重要的原因。
　　The last critical thinking skill used when using context clues is to synthesize information. Putting the pieces together of a puzzle requires holding the different parts- the misunderstood, and the found information- together mentally. Making a judgement about whether the parts fit is a trial and error process.
　　When working with more complex texts, sometimes the information does not fit together, and will requires multiple attempts to understand the bigger picture. This can be challenging for a student already balancing reading in a second language.
　　It’s not necessary to add on complicated concepts. Successful practice of the mental skill of synthesizing information can be done at the same time as reading, when the material is at the correct level.
　　使用上下文线索时所运用的第三步独立思考能力是合成信息（synthesize information）。
　　拼凑拼图碎片，需要将被误解的信息和找到的信息集中在头脑中。而判断信息碎片是否合适是一个反复实践的过程。
　　而且，一旦处理更复杂的文本，信息就不太容易被合成，需要多次尝试才能理解信息全貌。对于开始平衡使用第二语言阅读的学生而言，这会是一个挑战。不过如果材料处于适合的水平时，读者可在阅读同时成功地完成这类合成信息的练习。
　　结合上述文字对话和画面里的线索，读者们会整合出信息：他们要坠机了。
　　Vocabulary and grammar can be memorized, but critical thinking can’t.
　　It has to be developed, and practiced. Once a student understands that they can understand something by themself, by using context clues, it’s possible to start working on even more advanced texts.
　　When reading comic books, students are enjoying great pictures, and maybe even getting exposed to new vocabulary and also ideas about character development and plot.
　　However, comic books are an excellent gateway to the skill that is necessary for all languages and arenas of life- comic books can be used to develop critical thinking skills!
　　独立思考的方式不是＂背＂出来的，这些能力需要开发和反复操练。
　　孩子们一旦了解到他们可以运用上下文线索轻易理解某些内容，就可以阅读更难的文本。
　　在看漫画书时，学生会欣赏精美的图画，还会接触到新词汇和有关角色发展和情节的想法。漫画书是通向所有语言所必需技能的绝妙途径，漫画书是培养独立思考能力的好素材！
　　本文完。
　　如果你对本文感兴趣，或许你还喜欢Anne老师的这些建议
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