Developing Reading Study Guides for Your English Students G. Benjamin White (白班哲明) Department of Applied Foreign Languages (應用外語系) Transworld Institute of Technology (環球技術學院) [email protected] Abstract Teaching English reading can sometimes be very difficult. The class is built on the premise that the students must complete the week's reading assignment before coming to class. If they have not read the story or book for the week, it is very difficult for them to participate in the classroom discussion. In addition it can be frustrating for the teacher, who many times has developed questions and activities for the discussion. One way to help alleviate this problem is through the development of reading guides for the different books and stories taught. This paper will discuss different aspects of what goes into a well formatted reading guide. Sample questions will be developed using the story: “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I. Introduction English reading is one of the skills that every English student must learn. In order to teach this skill, teachers must find English books and stories. In order to have a discussion during the class time, the students need to have read the week's reading well in advanced. By taking the time and effort to produce reading guides, teachers can give the students a guide to use while they are reading. The reading guides also serve as companions to the in class discussion as they contain discussion questions and additional writing opportunities for the students. This paper will discuss the different aspects of what goes into a well formatted reading guide. Due to copyright rules, the instructor (G. Benjamin White) was unable to use the books from the instructor's classes. Instead the instructor went to Project Gutenberg, which is an online site housing a large selection of books and stories in the public domain. Items that are in the public domain are available free and for any use. They do not require permission before using them. Most of the examples for this paper will come from part of the story: “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (a smaller version of the same story will be used during the presentation as a way for the audience to make up example questions). Some examples in the paper will come from the book Seesaw Girl which is read by the instructor's freshman reading class. Again, due to copyright issues only short quotes will be used. II. Author and Setting Information The first item to add to any reading guide is background information on the author and setting for the story. The author information is quickly put together and most information can be easily found online. By adding author information the students are able to have a better understanding of who wrote the story. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Scotland (May 22, 1859). He was always interested

in books and when he turned 9 a relative took him to London for his schooling. In 1886 the first of the many Sherlock Holmes books and stories was published (A Study in Scarlet). What would later become the book The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was published in a magazine starting in July 1891. “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” was the eighth story published. Doyle is well-known for his Sherlock Holmes books (and also became very wealthy due to them), but he also wrote many other books. One of them is The Lost World (1916) which is about a place in South America where dinosaurs still lived. He also wrote a history of the Boer War which along with his service in the war lead to him being knighted (the reason he has Sir in his name). Doyle was married twice and had five children. He died July 7, 1930. (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate (n.d.)) One can add or delete information. The above example is very short, but gets to the basic information that is needed. In addition to the author information it is important to discuss the setting of the story or book. The setting is the time and place of the action. The setting for “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” is 221B Baker Street London (the home of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson) in April of 1883. The two also travel to the small city of Leatherhead (southeast England) which is the nearest stop to Stoke Moran. Stoke Moran is the home of Dr. Grimesby Roylott and Helen Stoner. Holmes and Watson both visit the house in order to investigate the mystery. Stoke Moran has seen better days as Dr. Roylott, the last surviving member of the old family, is broke and can only keep one part of the house open. The setting of this story is very important (integral) to the story since it is historical fiction. Historical fiction takes place in the past and the time and place determine the setting. The setting is usually very different than today. To write a good historical fiction story the author must mix imagination with facts that leads to a suspenseful plot (story). Again one can add or delete information as needed. After the basic introduction to the book or story it is then the time to add reading questions. III. Development of Reading Questions The instructor broke down the parts of “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”. Below them the instructor has shown some potential questions. The story is in italics for convenience in reading. In addition, the first paragraph was rather large and very technical, so it was omitted for this paper (please see References for citation of the story). It was early in April in the year ’83 that I woke one morning to find Sherlock Holmes standing, fully dressed, by the side of my bed. He was a late riser, as a rule, and as the clock on the mantelpiece showed me that it was only a quarter-past seven, I blinked up at him in some surprise, and perhaps just a little resentment, for I was myself regular in my habits. It is important to give students questions that are both easy and challenging. This way

students have to think deeper on some questions while at the same time being able to (or should be able to) answer other questions quickly. The sample questions have all been numbered. 1.What season was the start of the story? 2.How many years ago did the story take place? (Remember that '83 = 1883). 3.Who was up and fully dressed? Question 3 is the easiest, while question 1 takes a little thinking as students must know that spring had just started the previous month. Question 2 gives the students an idea as to the age of the story. Later in the paper, there will be a discussion on adding historical information to stories. “Very sorry to knock you up, Watson,” said he, “but it’s the common lot this morning. Mrs. Hudson has been knocked up, she retorted upon me, and I on you.” “What is it, then—a fire?” “No; a client. It seems that a young lady has arrived in a considerable state of excitement, who insists upon seeing me. She is waiting now in the sitting-room. Now, when young ladies wander about the metropolis at this hour of the morning, and knock sleepy people up out of their beds, I presume that it is something very pressing which they have to communicate. Should it prove to be an interesting case, you would, I am sure, wish to follow it from the outset. I thought, at any rate, that I should call you and give you the chance.” “My dear fellow, I would not miss it for anything.” 4.What does “knock you up” mean in this sentence? 5.Who was the first person “knocked up”? 6.Where was the lady? 7.Why did Holmes say she had something pressing? 8.Why did Sherlock Holmes “knock up” Watson? I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in his professional investigations, and in admiring the rapid deductions, as swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical basis with which he unraveled the problems which were submitted to him. I rapidly threw on my clothes and was ready in a few minutes to accompany my friend down to the sitting-room. A lady dressed in black and heavily veiled, who had been sitting in the window, rose as we entered. 9.What did Watson like to do? 10.How long did it take Watson to get dressed? 11.Discuss the woman. 12.What did the woman do when Holmes and Watson entered? Why? Question number 11 is a way to ask questions. It gives the students the opportunity to go deeper into the woman at this point of the story. In addition, the last question is in two parts. One comes from the story, while the other is for the students to think about the reason. “Good-morning, madam,” said Holmes cheerily. “My name is Sherlock Holmes. This is

my intimate friend and associate, Dr. Watson, before whom you can speak as freely as before myself. Ha! I am glad to see that Mrs. Hudson has had the good sense to light the fire. Pray draw up to it, and I shall order you a cup of hot coffee, for I observe that you are shivering.” “It is not cold which makes me shiver,” said the woman in a low voice, changing her seat as requested. “What, then?” “It is fear, Mr. Holmes. It is terror.” She raised her veil as she spoke, and we could see that she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn and grey, with restless frightened eyes, like those of some hunted animal. Her features and figure were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was shot with premature grey, and her expression was weary and haggard. Sherlock Holmes ran her over with one of his quick, all-comprehensive glances. “You must not fear,” said he soothingly, bending forward and patting her forearm. “We shall soon set matters right, I have no doubt. You have come in by train this morning, I see.” 13.How did Holmes talk to the woman? 14.How was the weather? 15.What had Mrs. Hudson done? 16.Why was the woman shaking? 17.What did Sherlock Holmes say to the woman to make her feel better? 18.How did the woman come to London. “You know me, then?” “No, but I observe the second half of a return ticket in the palm of your left glove. You must have started early, and yet you had a good drive in a dog-cart, along heavy roads, before you reached the station.” The lady gave a violent start and stared in bewilderment at my companion. “There is no mystery, my dear madam,” said he, smiling. “The left arm of your jacket is spattered with mud in no less than seven places. The marks are perfectly fresh. There is no vehicle save a dog-cart which throws up mud in that way, and then only when you sit on the left-hand side of the driver.” 19.How did Sherlock Holmes know that she had arrived by train? 20.What else did Sherlock Holmes say about the woman's journey? 21.What happened to the woman's coat? 22.What is a dog cart? (You will need to go online.) It is also a good idea to encourage your students to go online to find pictures and additional information about items in the story (for example question 22). This way the students are able to get more ideas about what the different characters are talking about. For each book chapter or parts of a story it is a good idea to add “Deeper and Possible Essay Test Questions” to a reading guide. These are more in depth questions and also offer writing opportunities in and out of the class. They also can serve as possible essay test questions. The instructor after the first semester (freshman year) of reading courses adds essays to the tests.

During the students’ last English reading class with the instructor (junior year) the tests are all essay based. Many (but not all) of the essay questions come from the reading guide questions. For this section, since the part of the story republished from “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” is too short, no deeper questions can be made. After reading the entire story here are some questions that could be created: 1.Do you believe that Dr. Roylott would have been able to get away with murder a second time? It seems that the police would have been specious of a second death under similar circumstances. [Make sure that you explain your answer well.] 2.Is Sherlock Holmes responsible for the death of Dr. Roylott as he says? (“...I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott’s death....”) [Make sure that you explain your answer well.] 3.How will the future change for Helen Stoner now that she is free from being killed and her step-father has died? [Make sure that you explain your answer well.] It is a good idea to add: “Make sure that you explain your answer well” to the questions. Students need to understand that essay questions need more discussion and are not able to be answered in a sentence or two. Another item dealing with in class writing is something discussed at the 2009 CamTESOL conference in Cambodia. Bollen (2009) discussed the concept of extremely short stories. These are stories written in 50 words (no more/no less). The instructor has taken this to another level and added it as an in class writing assignment with the deeper questions. This way all students have the same amount of words to write the answer to the question. In addition, the students also have a framework to following in the writing. IV. Historical and Additional Information In addition to developing questions for the students it is also important to give them additional information that will be helpful when reading the book. In this section the instructor will use the book Seesaw Girl by Linda Sue Park. The book takes place in mid-17th century Korea. The main character is Jade Blossom, who is the 12 year old daughter of a noble family. As such her whole world is the inner court of her house. However, curiosity gets the better of her and she leaves her home one day in an attempt to visit her former aunt. Adding historical information about the story gives today's students an idea of what was going on during the time. It also gives them an idea of how well the author did his or her research for the book. The first example deals with the section of the book where Willow (Jade's aunt) is getting married and will never see Jade again. Before the marriage Jade gives her a purse: “On the back such a purse would have a single Chinese character indicating perhaps 'luck' or 'happiness'.” (Park, 1999, p.18). Around the questions dealing with this part of the book the instructor added: ---Historical Discussion – Korea was a bridge between Japan and China in the past. As such the country was influenced heavily by its larger neighbor. Throughout Korea today one can find Chinese used. However the pronunciation is very different. For example: 大 is pronounced as “day”. 好 is pronounced as “ho”. The Chinese used in Korea is the same that is used in Taiwan.---

When Jade leaves her home and is walking on the street (something she should not be doing) she sees foreign sailors being guarded on the way to the palace (Korea at this time was a closed society, so the sailors had broken the law). The author does not tell us the nationality of the sailors, however it can be implied from the book and history that they were Dutch. Again under the section of questions dealing with this part of the book the instructor added: ---Historical Discussion – The sailors are Dutch and were most likely going to Japan. At the time of the book the Dutch controlled much of Asia from their base in present day Indonesia. In the early 17th century (1600s) Japan closed itself off to all traders except the Dutch and Chinese. This gave the Dutch much power in the area. Some of the goods would have came from Taiwan. Taiwan for the Dutch (and later Japan) was very profitable. 鹿 港 (Lùgăng) translates directly as Deer Harbor due to the number of deer pellets (skins) going to Japan along with other crops. 台南 ( 安平 (Anpíng)) was also a very important fort for the Dutch in Asia. Alfons Van Der Kraan in Murder and Mayhem in Seventeenth-Century Cambodia discusses how when the Dutch were defeated by the Cambodians in the 1640s they sailed to Taiwan instead of Indonesia. The book takes place near the end of the Dutch rule in Taiwan.--When dealing with historical fiction, the author can make mistakes. It is important to give students the corrected information. On page 91 Park (1999) wrote “...Dutch explorers reached Korea for the first time. Attempting to sail from China to Japan....”. The instructor under the section of questions dealing with this part of the book added: ---The author makes a mistake in this part. The Dutch were never in China during this time, but in Taiwan. They never reached China (the closest they got was Penghu).--In addition to the historical information the instructor also adds general information for the students. In Seesaw Girl the author discusses how Jade's older brother (Tiger Heart) would be married before she was married. This is still part of Korean culture today. Under the section of the reading guide dealing with this part of the book was added: ---It is Korean custom for the oldest child to marry first, so Tiger Heart would get married before Jade. Tiger Heart was close to marriage age and probably would be married in a couple to 3 years. In 2001 the teacher went to Korea and when Koreans found out that his younger sister was to get married before him it was a little shocking for them.--In another part Jade goes to visit her father. Her father asks “Good evening, Daughter. Have you eaten well?” (p.61). In the reading guide the instructor added: ---“Have you eaten well” – A Korean greeting---

In addition to the historical and additional information it is a good idea to develop family trees for the different characters in the book, so that students can see the relationship between the different characters. It also helps when new characters are discussed in the book, so that the students see how the new characters relate back to the main character. The next section deals

more with adding items for the discussion of characters. One last item that is added to the reading guide for Seesaw Girl is a place for students to write captions for the different illustrations found in the book. Not every book has illustrations, but if teachers use books with them it is a good idea to have students to write a short caption for the picture. This is a good way to test their comprehension of the story as the illustrations are connected to the text of the book. V. Characters In order to help in the discussion of characters several items can be added to any reading guide. The first is a character map (figure 1). A character map is an easy way to help students find connections between the different characters of a book. Character maps are easy to create. The version below was adapted from one found in the CliffsNotes 1990 Newbery Medal Winners (page 61). The character map is for the book Seesaw Girl.

Figure 1 - Character Map The main character's name (Jade) is written in the middle and around the outside the students write the names of the other characters. On the lines the students write how the two characters are related. Students should also add an arrow(s) to the lines to show the direction of the relationship. When one reads the character map they read it in the direction of the arrows. For example if the relationship between two characters is that they “are siblings” (brother and sister) then arrows will point to both names. If the student instead wants to discuss the relationship as “is brother to”, the arrow should point to the sister character. (Figure 2)

Figure 2 - Examples of Character Relationships In “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” the main character is Sherlock Holmes. His name would go in the middle. On the outside would go the names: Watson, Ms. Hudson, Helen Stoner and Dr. Roylott (the other characters of the story). On the lines the students would decide the best information to add. The instructor has an example in figure 3.

Figure 3 - Character Map Example In addition to the character maps it is also a good idea to go in depth with the main character(s). This paper's appendix has a worksheet that teachers can use as a way to have students write more information on the characters. This worksheet is a good way to show students how much information is available about the character(s) in a book or story. It is also a good way to test for reading comprehension, as students need to pay attention to the details discussed in the plot to find out all about the characters. VI. Conclusion Reading guides offer ways for teachers to give their students valuable resources to use while doing their out of class reading and at the same time for their in class discussion. It is important to develop the guides before the start of class. This way students have all the necessary information for the book. It also allows those students that are motivated to read ahead. Reading

guides are very time consuming, as the teacher must read the book several times and then also do outside research. This time and effort pays off when the semester begins and all students have a reading guide for each book or story. All of the instructor's study guides for the books used are available online. The easiest way to find them is to go to dfltit.blogspot.com (the instructor's main teaching blog). From there one can find links to the main teaching site and other reading blogs. The instructor is available for further discussion on this topic. The instructor believes in the sharing of ideas to improve the teaching and learning of students. References Bollen, D. (2009, February 21-22) Stories: Reading, writing and telling. Paper presented at the 5th Annual CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching. Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Doyle, A.C. Sir. (n.d.). “The adventure of the speckled band” in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Retrieved from Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext99/advsh12h.htm#8 Lucke, M (1998) Schaum’s quick guide to writing great short stories. USA: McGraw-Hill. Park, L.S. (1999) Seesaw girl. New York: Dell Yearling (Random House Children's Book). Pavlos, S. (2000) CliffsNotes: The 1990s newbery medal winners. Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate (n.d.) Sir arthur conan dolye biography. Retrieved from: http://www.sherlockholmesonline.org/Biography/index.htm White, G.B. (2010) Seesaw girl. Unpublished reading guide. Available at: http://sites.google.com/site/gbwitems/items/SeesawGirlReadingGuide%282010%29.pdf?attr edirects=0

Appendix