Here are suggested answers to the Think About It items in this chapter of the Online Learning Center website.

1. Of the three phases—Preparation, Guided Interaction, and Assimilation—which do you believe is most neglected in foreign language teaching in general? Why? Justify the importance of this phase in your own words.

Teacher’s Note:Answers will vary. Here is one possible response:


• Most reading lessons we encounter neglect the final phase, Assimilation. Although Preparation and Guided Interaction (of some type) usually occur, readers are left with simply understanding the text at a base level. That is, they understand what it says, but not necessarily what it means for them or how it relates to what they already know. They are seldom asked to do something with the information they have learned. Frankly, the reason for this may be that instructors simply do not see the need or they have never been exposed to the option of allowing readers to assimilate.

2. In your own words, explain the functions of schemata and give one example scenario in which schemata play an important role.

Teacher’s Note: Response may include the following:


• A person’s world knowledge, background, and life’s experiences (which all comprise one’s schemata) play an important role in the act of reading. They help differentiate between possible interpretations (disambiguate), read between the lines (elaborate), evaluate and store (or filter) the important information, and make up for (or compensate for) lack of knowledge (e.g., not knowing future tense yet). For example, one might interpret “Lisa drew the drapes” as either that Lisa sketched something or that Lisa pulled the curtains shut. One’s familiarity with such expressions and the topic of the reading as a whole will help disambiguate.

3. What are the principal differences between traditional comprehension questions and the task oriented Guided Interaction proposed in this chapter?

Teacher’s Note: Response should include the following:


• The guided interaction phase suggests text management strategies for the reader and also contains comprehension checks. A traditional approach would most likely only contain some type of comprehension questions. These questions are typically presented in the same order in which the responses appear in the reading. Comprehension questions alone cannot be considered a task, whereas the Guided Interaction phase suggested by Lee and VanPatten is task-oriented. For example, this phase might involve making a list of important elements from the text, sharing it with a classmate, and updating the list based on feedback received.