ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the “bottom-up” side of the reading interaction, and looks at what constitutes a text and what types of information are encoded in texts. It suggests that if students lack basic second language (L2) knowledge, teachers should consider presenting those concepts explicitly so that students learn to recognize them in texts. Students from many different language backgrounds may struggle with the English vowel system, which tends to be larger and more complex than in most other languages. Although “vocabulary knowledge” can be difficult to assess, it is clear that teachers should take vocabulary difficulty under serious advisement in text selection. Readability can be measured in terms of quantifiable linguistic and textual factors, including word and sentence length, as well as word frequency and familiarity. The chapter examines features of English-language texts that pose specific challenges for L2 readers, and concludes with practical recommendations for text selection and text-based skills instruction.
