MIDTESOL Matters
Spring 2004
A Publication of Mid-America Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

Using Experience-Text-Relationship

By A.G. Stromsdorfer

Reference: Walker, Barbara J. (2004). Diagnostic Teaching of Reading: Techniques for Instruction and Assessment. New Jersey: Pearson Education. (233-4). Variations and adjustments to the strategy with the die/questions are the presenter’s (A.G.Stromsdorfer).

Description: Experience-Text-Relationship (ETR) builds comprehension by using the children’s experiences to teach new concepts and new words in the story. In this technique, the teacher helps students comprehend the text better by showing them the relationship between what they know and what they are reading. ETR is specifically helpful in multicultural classes.

Objectives: Before and after the reading, the students will be able predict and connect prior knowledge with the eventual knowledge acquired from the text through this strategy: IL LA 2,1a.

Text: Stories with interesting themes and plots to withstand in-depth discussion.

Focus of Instruction: Gleaning meaning before and after instruction, having oral discussions with elaboration to elicit literal and non-literal comprehension, promoting simultaneously implicit and explicit cognitive processing.

Procedures:

        1. Choose an appropriate text: (The myth of King Midas for this demonstration-see below.)
        2. Teacher will read the story to determine the theme, topic, and other important elements.
        3. Teacher will formulate questions to encourage students to activate prior knowledge by looking at any illustrations.
        4. Text-phase is when the teacher begins discussion by generating questions after the students have read the passage.
        5. Experience- phase is connecting what students might already know about this particular myth.
        6. Following the silent reading, several groups or the whole class participates in answering the journalistic WH- questions.
        7. Teacher might assist students in recalling the predictions and determining which were correctly made.
        8. Teacher may set additional purposes toward the comprehension of the story.

Variations: Using a 3x3" cardboard homemade box (or the packaging used for face creams), make a large die to hold six sheets of typed WH- questions/answers. Each student in the group will take turns to cast the die. The student will say if he wants to formulate the question or the answer before casting. The number on the face of the die will determine which number on the sheet the player will answer. As the questions get answered, they will be removed from the box. When they have all been addressed, the students have had an engaging and fun story-comprehension practice session, either in small groups or as a class.

Example of Appropriate Text:

The Golden Touch. Story of King Midas. (Story source: Scope: Reading, Writing, & Reality for Teens. (1/19/04) Scholastic. Vol. 52, No. 11, pp.12-13.

Questions/Answers to correspond to the number cast on the Experience-Text-Relationship Game die:

1. a) Who was King Midas? Midas was a greedy king in Ancient Greek mythology.

b) Who did he entertain with hospitality in his palace? The Greek god Bacchus was his guest and the king showed him hospitality.

c) Who wrote this story/play? Mary Pope Osborne wrote this story.

d) Who wrote the original story/ myth? Ovid wrote the original story/myth.

e) Who/whom do you know that might be as grabby(greedy) as King Midas?

I don’t ________________________________________________

2. a) What did King Midas want? He wanted more riches.

b) What did Midas ask for? He asked to have more gold.

c) What was the reward Bacchus granted to the king? Bacchus granted Midas’ wish that he should have more gold.

d) What was wrong with Midas’ wish? That everything would turn to gold?

e) What things have you ever wished for that were impossible?

I _______________________________________________

3. a) When did this story take place? It probably took place two thousand years ago.

b) When did Mary Pope Osborne probably write this story? Recently; no date was given.

c) When did Bacchus decide to give King Midas his wish? After the king’s hospitality.

d) When did Midas realize that his wish was more than he had bargained for? He realized the greediness and the destructiveness of his wish when he could not even eat.

4. a) Where did Midas Live? He probably lived in Greece.

b) Where did Bacchus live? On Mount Olympus/ in Greece.

c) Where did Ovid write this story? Ovid probably wrote this in Greece.

  1. Where was Midas when he realized he had made a mistake? He

was probably at his table trying to eat.

5. a) Why did King Midas want more gold? He was greedy.

b) Why did Bacchus grant him such a foolish wish? He tried to warn Midas.

c) Why would Bacchus want to have this king suffer? Bacchus had made a promise.

d) Why do you think Ovid wanted people to read this myth? Ovid

wanted to teach people the danger of acting without thinking?

6. a) How did the story end? King Midas finally realized his mistake.

b) How would you have acted if you were Bacchus? I would have done the same.

c) How would you have responded to Bacchus’ generous offer? I would have asked for __________.

d) How do you suppose King Midas felt about gold and excessive wishes

after this experience? Midas probably learned that too much greed does

not bring happiness.

 

A.G. Stromsdorfer teaches ESOL with the St. Louis Public School system. She previously worked with the St. Louis University ESL program as Associate Professor of ESL, teaching grammar, writing, and literature, and with the Hazelwood School District. Dr. Stromsdorfer’s teaching experience also includes teaching EFL in Turkey and Spain.