ABSTRACT
Given the overwhelming evidence for the importance of extensive reading in learning to read in a second language, why isn’t everyone doing it?
William Grabe (1995, cited in Day & Bamford, 1998, p. 41)
Consider your experiences with intensive reading (close, careful examination of required texts) and extensive reading (reading quantities of self-selected materials for information or pleasure). How are the two types of experiences distinct? Which has contributed most to your literacy skills (including
reading and writing)? What do you see as the possible benefits of extensive reading for L1
and especially L2 readers? If you were to adopt an extensive reading approach for all or part of an
L2 reading course (or a reading/writing course), what might be some of the risks or potential drawbacks of doing so? Can you think of ways to overcome these drawbacks?
