What is EXTENSIVE READING, and why (and how) should you do it?

Doing extensive reading on a regular basis is one of the best ways to improve all aspects of your English language skills, starting with reading, of course. In this video are 7 things to keep in mind when doing extensive reading.
Video on intensive reading: • What is INTENSIVE READ...
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On the blog: morksensei.com/what-is-extensi...
Research on Extensive Reading:
Day, R. and J. Bamford, 1998, Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom, Cambridge University Press.
Day, R. and J. Bamford, 2004, Extensive Reading Activities for Teaching Language, Cambridge University Press.
Day, R. and Bamford, J. (2002) ‘Top Ten Principles for teaching extensive reading.’ Reading in a Foreign Language. nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/October20...
Waring, R. The Inescapable Case for Extensive Reading. www.robwaring.org/papers/warin...
Maley, A ‘Extensive reading: why it is good for our students… and for us.’ www.teachingenglish.org.uk/ar...
Stanley, G. Extensive Reading. www.teachingenglish.org.uk/ar...
Steiner, J. Reading for Pleasure. www.orianit.edu-negev.gov.il/e...

[@vitaliikogut527]

1. Read a lot, often, fast (up to 3 hours) 2. Read at your level (easy reading) 3. You decide what to read 4. Read wide variety 5. Read for pleasure 6. Read alone and quietly 7. You are the boss (not your teacher, he/she is a guide)

[@huuu4689]

thanks for the summary sir

[@Rossana-kh9ew]

I really agree that extensive reading helps to improve our fluency and vocabulary, so important for us as teachers who are not native speakers but need to be good models in our classes

[@morksensei]

Cheers, Rossana. Yes, I think the research also supports our view. :)

[@user-hh9qs2of3y]

I found this video describing extensive reading in the best possible way, in shortest time possible, clearly and practically, without trying to sell or promote something

[@morksensei]

Thanks!

[@ViacheslavKr]

Hi, Teacher! I like audiobooks but you absolutely right about reading extensively only, without audio.

[@meghanadharne7438]

Thank you for this session

[@abderrafimansari4643]

Thanks a lot dear professor ! Don't forget ! You should visit our country , because we are generous .....

[@edwintang763]

If you put the video at 1.25x speed, that is exactly how fast the average person speaks

[@morksensei]

Good! That was my goal. :)

[@narsplace]

1.75 for Australian English.

[@jayvyjohnvallestero5315]

Thank you so much very helpful.

[@gayatrigovalvanshinanda6921]

Very informative Extensive Reading categorically explained.The more you read, the more you learn.

[@enero7171]

Excelent recomendations☺Thank you a lot ! Extensive reading is easy to apply.

[@cathyli1661]

Thank you for the very clear and useful video! Can't wait to try now!

[@morksensei]

You're most welcome.

[@elenaekanathapetrova2282]

Thank you! There's so detailed. I heard many poins before here and there and you put it together.

[@morksensei]

Thank you, Elena!

[@drtaraknathchattopadhyay1776]

Thank you mam for this lecture.

[@adithyaadiga85]

Very informative video on extensive reading practice

[@baiqwina2779]

Really love this footage ❤❤❤

[@abderrafimansari4643]

Again, I followed your lesson , it was enjoyable for me . I benefit from your advices about extensive reading. Thanks a lot dear professor. And not forget welcome - one thousand once - to Morocco

[@morksensei]

Thank you! 😃 And cheers again for your kind welcome!

[@abderrafimansari4643]

@@morksensei A thousand thanks, appreciation and mutual respect, my favorite teacher, and I hope that the visit to your second country, Morocco, will come true on the ground....

[@sashaadamova479]

Thank you so much for this great explanation! Short and so informative! Excellent video!

[@morksensei]

Glad it was helpful!

[@shahidnoor6151]

Outstanding Explained

[@gabrielgkabelen9824]

Thanks so much Morksensei

[@morksensei]

You’re most welcome. :)

[@bryan143]

An excellent summary of extensive reading and how to do it.

[@morksensei]

Cheers, Bryan!

[@victoriazelenko2804]

Thanks for the video, it’s useful to watch with the students to encourage their extensive reading:)

[@morksensei]

Cheers! Yes, some of my personal colleagues say they use it with their students, too. :)

[@juliazimmermann7310]

Sooo interesting! Thank you :)

[@kadirtepe3604]

Thank you so much Excellent video!

[@morksensei]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AVIJITDAS-ty4ki]

Thank you so much madam, great information.

[@meghanadharne7438]

Thank you so much for this explanation

[@morksensei]

You're most welcome!

[@dr.babasahebgore1665]

Very good information.

[@bidhanhazra3071]

Informative lecture

[@brotigayen6858]

Good suggestion.

[@prof.dr.jalpapatelaadhyapa2898]

Great explanation

[@lt.r.b.chaudhary4328]

Excellent & informative lecture

[@morksensei]

Thanks a lot!

[@ViacheslavKr]

Once more. I enjoy your lessons.

[@morksensei]

Thank you! I will try to make more soon. (So busy!)

[@shebama2675]

Valuable information

[@lt.r.b.chaudhary4328]

Thank you for extensive reading is easy to apply

[@morksensei]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dr.surendraparmar2336]

Thanks very much

[@johnkerr190]

Every language teacher should watch this vedeo!

[@morksensei]

Cheers, John!

[@ryoarthur7371]

Thank you this really helped me

[@morksensei]

You’re welcome. :)

[@dayanaguillen348]

The way you explain makes me to subscribe, thank you.

[@morksensei]

Thank you, Dayana, and welcome to my channel!

[@madhvibrahmbhatt619]

Thank you for good information.

[@morksensei]

You're most welcome. :)

[@jitendrakumarkharadi697]

very nice session

[@morksensei]

Glad you liked it

[@mukeshmahale7281]

really very helpful

[@raghulohiya3883]

Good information

[@archana_gamit]

thanks madam for this informative video

[@morksensei]

Cheers for watching!

[@lameee6410]

thank you so much ❤❤❤

[@bharatkanzariya8627]

Thank you so much

[@ahmedjameel85]

Excellent information madam

[@krishnadaiya2788]

Wonderful explanation

[@morksensei]

Glad you think so!

[@cuivincent9744]

Of course people need to read it loudly. The english is exactly and sound language. Read it with correct sounds will decide the language journey whether successful.

[@shivangkumarbhavsar3095]

Good one

[@dedalofree]

Intensive video!! 👍 nice job

[@morksensei]

EXtensive, actually. haha! 😂 Thank you!

[@vandanarami9574]

Useful

[@shobhaahirrao1866]

Very nice sassion धन्यवाद🙏

[@hmgohilsanskrit937]

nice guidance

[@5ashisbiswas7]

Useful video.

[@morksensei]

Glad it was helpful!

[@abderrafimansari4643]

Good after noon dear professor ! Thanks a lot for your super lesson . Frankly , super lesson .... Welcome if possible , welcome to Morocco....

[@morksensei]

Thank you! I have never been to Morocco - would love to visit one day!

[@abderrafimansari4643]

@@morksensei Welcome if possible, I'm a retired professor of Arabic language, now I'm a University student in second year , department of English Studies in Morocco. I'm student, single, moroccan, retired, .... Thanks for your useful lesson....

[@morksensei]

@@abderrafimansari4643 Retiring, but continuing to learn - fantastic!

[@abderrafimansari4643]

@@morksensei I'm the first old student in the World. I admire learning English Language. Your personal lessons help me to improve my cultural evel.. For this reason, you are a best Professor for me. And for this reason, Always I World tell you : welcome to Morocco if possible....

[@morksensei]

@@abderrafimansari4643 Thank you!

[@pinakin991]

good session

[@aparnadas5277]

Inspiring

[@rameshvasava4569]

Very information

[@morksensei]

Thanks!

[@jacksonamaral329]

Good.

[@hassannorein3027]

I like your Channel a lot. I think you are so unique and a mazing

[@dr.jayshripatel2405]

Thank you

[@morksensei]

You're welcome

[@hansabensonara7765]

Was a good learning

[@morksensei]

cheers!

[@alanstancliff3966]

Hello Sensei, I think your advice in this video is very good. I also admire your American English accent. It is very good. I would add one thing: the importance of spending a small amount of time reading aloud. The sounds of a foreign language are very difficult. I am trying to teach my wife how to speak Spanish, a language I learned as a child along with English. I am constantly impressed with how difficult it is to pronounce a foreign language. It's like tongue twisters. But patiently attempting to spend maybe 10 or 15 minutes a day reading aloud should also be practiced. I agree with what you are saying about extensive reading in general.

[@morksensei]

Than you, Alan! I will be teaching pronunciation courses in the future, so I'll CC probably make a series of videos. My accent may sound American, by the way, but I'm from French 🇨🇦!

[@moumitasarkar6895]

Very nice

[@chandrashekharupadhyaya6530]

Really a good lecture,thank you Ma'am.

[@carolinalsss]

İ loved this video. now I'm trying to learn Turkish, but so hard to find graders books

[@morksensei]

I feel your pain! I wish there were more options in Japanese for me... I read stuff that is too difficult! I wish there were more options for languages less widely used.

[@RoelofdeRouw]

nice video

[@morksensei]

Thanks

[@ravaljyotsana2550]

Nice

[@hemantsuthar8110]

Thanks

[@morksensei]

No problem.

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

As an English teacher and a language learner (spanish) I use reading a lot. One thing I noticed was that if I read a passage and didn't understand it but read it again and then again, by the third reading it came to me. Weird but awesome feeling. In my English class (10/11 year olds native spanish speakers) we started reading one short story each week but we read it over again every day. The first day we read and discuss the ideas but with each reading we read it quicker and then by the end of the week. Day 4 infact the kids take it in turns to read out loud. On day 5 we do a dicatation of the previous weeks reading that they spend the week preparing. The dictation is just a hope that they will spend a few minutes each day reading the short passage. It is certainly having an impact though I've only been doing it for about 5 weeks since classes more or less resumed. Why repeat the same story? When I used to read to my son whose native language was spanish not english he would request the same story each night and never got bored. My 10 year olds don't seem to get bored by this daily repetition and it makes for a good routine.

[@morksensei]

Cheers for your comments! Yes, I too have had the most success learning Japanese when I read over and over, especially over time intervals. This is essentially a form a spaced repetition, and is particularly useful for intensive reading (and not so much for extensive reading, where you are already supposed to be able to understand a great deal). As a teacher of young learners, one concern with repetition of passages might be boredom, but hopefully if the story is engaging and different approaches are used, that potential issue can be mitigated.

[@marcwhelan6314]

Hey, I just seen your comment and I'm in a similar situation. I live in Thailand and my kids are half Thai/Irish (Thairish) 😁. I'm teaching a 12 and 15 year old 1-1 classes online and I want to focus on reading. However, I can't help but worry that they will get bored. Do you have any advice or resources I could used to make sure they stay engaged? Thank you 🙏🙏🙏

[@hirjisinch973]

lovely

[@bhoomigurjar3984]

Really reading is passion.

[@morksensei]

Indeed it is.

[@patelsatish1710]

Good

[@dr.srikant2251]

thank u

[@dr.md.samiuddin6636]

Super

[@ViacheslavKr]

Hi, Morksensei! Hope you are feeling better now. I wish you good health. I got a second jab by Sputnik V a week ago. Hope everything will be ok. By the way, I recommend using the printed version of the book and the computer version of the same book. Combination. This is good for our brain to use such a combination. Our brain like it. It may sound strange at first sight. Plus audio version at some stage.

[@morksensei]

Yes, good advice! Thanks for your comment, Ch K! Sadly, I am still in hospital, but I promise: I will be back making videos soon. I look forward to the vaccine, too. Luckily, I now have a few of my own antibodies! Perhaps I’ll talk about my COVID experience next video? Would that be interesting, I wonder? (Obviously, I don’t yet have other content for you! ;) )

[@ViacheslavKr]

@@morksensei Sorry to hear that you at the hospital until now. I wish you to overcome the disease as quickly as possible. And I hope to see you as soon as possible with your new interesting lessons. I am sure your experience will be interesting to describe. Such a thing can happen to anyone. Once more, I wish you health. And I do not believe that you do not yet have other content for me! ;) Your potential is immense. I believe in you.

[@morksensei]

Thank you xoxoxo

[@ViacheslavKr]

@@morksensei I am not laughing. I am serious. I am not "хахаха".

[@morksensei]

@@ViacheslavKr x means Kiss and o means Hug. It is a casual and friendly way to say ‘thank you’ :)

[@Emma_EL]

Here I am ADDICTED to webnovels ...and INTERESTED in all types of books and poems ( I L❤️VE English )

[@morksensei]

Webnovels - sounds good!

[@user-di4wn9rk4y]

Useful session about extensive reading -Dr Virenkumar Pandya BDK ARTS AND COMMERCE COLLEGE GADHADA

[@mychineselanguagepartner]

I like your video! I tried to read your blog, but didn't see Japanese translation for your posts. Can you make sure about that? Thanks!

[@morksensei]

So sorry, Meei - my mistake. I don't have Japanese translations for this post (yet?). Eventually, I hope the youtube community might contribute to my videos in this way.

[@Sarvebhavntusukhinah1111]

Information video

[@nehalpandya6095]

good

[@paulwalther5237]

I'm an English speaker but I study a lot of languages so your video showed up in my feed. I know extensive reading has been around for a long time but now we have e-books and apps to help us read and you can lookup a word by just tapping on it. Would you still suggest not using a dictionary for e-books?

[@morksensei]

For extensive reading, no - you should be able to try to guess the very few words you don't know from context. Also, the purpose is enjoyment and development of fluency. But for other types of reading, like intensive reading, sure - bring on the apps! What apps do you enjoy using, by the way? I admit I tend not to use mobile apps for language learning, but when I read difficult Japanese online, I like rikai.com

[@politeista]

Professor, what do you think about reading books while listening to the audiobook corresponding to that text? It’s a recommendation I heard from a language learner who’s a polyglot.

[@morksensei]

Yes, I think someone else had the same question earlier. (? not sure...) Essentially, sure, it's fine to do that. Keep in mind, however, that your purpose in doing so will be different. You will be adding listening comprehension to the mix- listening will make reading easier and visa versa if you do them at the same time. They will be mutually reinforcing, which is great. However, just doing one is more challenging, and you should challenge yourself, too!

[@politeista]

@@morksensei Thank you, Professor! I get the idea. Making this mix is important to me. In English, words are not necessarily pronounced as they are written. Reading while having doubts about the sound of an amount of words did not allow me to practice extensive reading well. That is the main reason for combining them.

[@morksensei]

@@politeista That sounds perfectly logical!

[@jvu2ilj26]

When you do extensive reading, you should not be looking up words unless it's absolutely necessary... However, what about languages such as Japanese? Even if I can guess the meaning of the word based on the kanji and the context, I still have to look it up to know the reading (and pitch accent) of that word... So always feel like I should look it up.

[@morksensei]

With extensive reading, you should be reading for meaning, NOT pronunciation. And if there are too many kanji you cannot figure out the meaning of, you'll need text with "furigana" (readings above the kanji) or just "hiragana" or "katakana." If your native language is from Germanic or Latin origins (or others!), it will take more patience and time to learn to read Japanese. Hang in there! And yes, you should be working on kanji readings at the same time, but ideally not while doing extensive reading.

[@treebirds536]

Hi ! I cannot understand english text if I read fast and if I did, I have to repeat the sentence before I contenue. Some videos teachers have advised to read in aloud voice. Please what differece between slow and fast reading ? Thank you so much for your free english courses and ineresting advice !

[@morksensei]

You should already read at a rate where you can uderstand. If you are reading so fast that you cannot understand, then yes, it's a good idea to slow down. Also, the length and complexity of the sentence will determine your ability to understand. Remember that if you are doing extensive reading, it should be very easy for you. If you have to read a sentence more than once to understand it, you probably need an easier text! If you are doing INTENSIVE reading (slower and more difficult), try to chunk your sentences; read until you see a comma or other punctuation and make sure you understand that...

[@bunnycatch3r]

I read on my Kindle so looking up a word is easy.

[@morksensei]

Technology is making everything faster and easier! :)

[@ukrajina2022]

👏

[@eugeneboichuk]

👍

[@Kaze70707]

If I read fast I don't understand what I read. Especially, some vocabularies I dont grasp well so it takes time to process the sentence.

[@morksensei]

This is true also for most people. :)

[@ViacheslavKr]

Hi, Morksensei! How are you feeling now? I wish you the quickest recovery. Cheslav

[@morksensei]

I’m out of hospital and recovering nicely at home. I hope to share my story with you in a few days. :)

[@ViacheslavKr]

@@morksensei Glad to hear that you are at home now. Fullest recovery to you after decease. Hope to see your new lessons soon.

[@user-bu8zl7jb2e]

what do you think about reading same books again?

[@morksensei]

Not a problem at all! Usually a good thing, in fact. :)

[@ViacheslavKr]

Hello, Morksensei! What about using text plus audio for EXTENSIVE READING from the very beginning? I enjoy using audio. How to use such a combination better? In what order? How to begin better? Thanks.

[@morksensei]

You can certainly use audio - to help your pronunciation and rhythm and pacing. However, extensive reading is reading for MEANING - this is an activity that takes place inside your brain. So while it's fine to read with audio, reading in your head (silently) should be a lot faster (fluent). The goal of extensive reading is to increase understanding and fluency, so you don't need the audio for those goals.

[@ViacheslavKr]

@@morksensei Thank you for your answer. Very helpful to me.

[@ViacheslavKr]

@@morksensei So if I understand you right learners of foreign languages must use both methods, to read extensively with audio and without.

[@morksensei]

@@ViacheslavKr I strongly recommend extensive reading, but reading with audio is something you don't have to do - you can do if you feel you need help with pacing, inflection, pronunciation, rhythm, intonation, etc. Some people do fine without it! If you do not live somewhere where English is widely spoken, it can be useful.

[@ViacheslavKr]

@@morksensei Thank you, Teacher! I highly appreciate your help. If you agree, I will ask you more and more. My native language is Russian. I am talking about audio so much because I like listening to audiobooks in my native language and want to do it with books in English. Now I am listening and reading 1984 by George Orwell.

[@abdulazizalharthi6605]

How do I know that I am at the right level to do the extensive reading? For example, I am learning English and have no issue understanding this video, is this enough to begin the extensive reading journey?

[@morksensei]

Basically, you know you are at the correct level if you can understand 95% (some say only 90%, others say 98%) of the segment you’re reading. This means you should be able to easily understand everything AND be able to guess the meaning of the words you don’t know through context. It’s OK if the reading is a little too easy, but it shouldn’t be hard.

[@doveimillennium9001]

Do we read out with our voice or read with our minds without voice in extensive reading?

[@morksensei]

Both are ok, but I think I answered this question before. Perhaps someone else? Out loud practice is good for focus on pronunciation and other physical elements of speech. Reading quietly is better if you want to focus on meaning.

[@biswajitpanda1363]

OK

[@zakiakay4078]

Am intermediate English level What's should i read Give me recommendations plz?

[@morksensei]

For extensive reading: read what interests you! (The easy answer). If what you find is to is much too difficult, find intermediate to advanced grades readers. :)

[@zakiakay4078]

@@morksensei am into agatha christie novels I hope i can read them

[@abhinavchauhan7864]

How would you learn the new words when you do not know what does they mean????

[@MuEnViFitness]

The book/articles have to be at a easy enough level so you can,most of the time, get the meaning out of the context. If you cannot understand most of the words that is just too hard for your current level, just go a couple of levels lower and you will enjoy it more and learn more.

[@morksensei]

You should already be able to understand 95% + of the words you read in extensive reading. The words you don't know, you should be able to guess from context. If you cannot understand the general meaning, choose an easier book. :)

[@abhinavchauhan7864]

@@MuEnViFitness got it thanks for the answering

[@abhinavchauhan7864]

@@morksensei thank you

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

In my experience meaning comes with exposure. Think about how many words you ever looked up in the dictionary in your native tongue probably next to zero. You probably read a lot of words you didn't understand but eventually the meaning emerged with time. The same should happen in new languages.

[@mival7390]

😍👌

[@fastnews3602]

Thank you Sensei! Your video is very useful for me to learn English. Hope you made more videos about how to practice writing in English.

[@morksensei]

More to come! It may take time, though, before I get to it. It takes a loooong time to make just one video, and I am a full-time teacher. What kind of writing, by the way? What are your goals?

[@fastnews3602]

@@morksensei Thank you for replying to me. I hope I can write my idea down immediately, maybe emails, reports...etc... But different from speaking, I usually use the wrong way to write, because I just translate from my native language to English. So, I need your help to exercise to writing better. Tks Sensei a lot!

[@morksensei]

@@fastnews3602 It sounds like you are NOT translating so much when you speak English, which is good! When you are writing, then, try to take the same mindset as when you are speaking. Probably the reason you translate more when writing is because you give yourself more time. "Think" in English. OR speak out loud in English and record and then transcribe what you said. Direct translation from your mother tongue into English is very normal when you are learning, so don't be hard on yourself. The more you do it, the less you will need to translate.

[@fastnews3602]

@@morksensei Tks Sensei. I think I need to practice more and more. Have a nice weekend!

[@fabiancruz4127]

Should I read aloud ?

[@morksensei]

Reading out loud is OK for pronunciation practice. It also helps your teacher monitor you in class. However, for extensive reading - no, ideally you should be reading for meaning only, silently.

[@sigib911]

So many thanks, Im practicing the daily reading for improve my english in general. By the way I love your name

[@morksensei]

Thanks, Sigi! Good luck with your studies. :)