p. 1

why reading is hard why reading can be hard fear the lemur toben alexander sean lampert and jacob roy framingham state university korea x12.tesl.948e01 teaching reading and writing english immersion prof diane epstein june 24th 2012

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p. 2

our audience intermediate level korean university students original text one 1962 test revealed an effect of nuclear explosions that had been overlooked by the united states a rocket carried an h-bomb 248 miles above the pacific where it exploded an instant later lights went out in the hawaiian islands 800 miles away fuses blew and burglar alarms went off these electrical disruptions were caused when x-rays and gamma rays from the explosion struck air molecules releasing electrons the electrons spun around and down the lines of the earth s magnetic field producing a tremendous burst of electromagnetic energy this electromagnetic pulse emp traveled swiftly to the earth s surface where it was collected by wires and antennas and caused damage to electrical circuits.

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p. 3

how difficult is the original text to read readability consensus calculator http www.readabilityformulas.com/free -readability-formula-tests.php results flesch reading ease score 52.3 text scale flesch reading ease scored your text fairly difficult to read gunning fog 13.2 text scale gunning fog scored your text hard to read flesch-kincaid grade level 10 grade level tenth grade the coleman-liau index 12 grade level twelfth grade the smog index 10.3 grade level tenth grade automated readability index 10.4 grade level 14-15 yrs old ninth to tenth graders linsear write formula 11.3 grade level eleventh grade readability consensus based on 8 readability formulas we have scored your text grade level 11 reading level fairly difficult to read reader s age 15-17 yrs old tenth to eleventh graders

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p. 4

problems with the original text and justifications for our edits one 1962 test revealed an effect of nuclear explosions that had been overlooked by the united states contrasting terms could be vague for students overlooked by usa so revealed to whom also had been overlooked by represents a higher grammatical construction the past perfect tense and the use of the passive voice both of which lack direct analogies to l1 the phrase could be reworded in simpler language for example the us missed however we opted to focus on the science content of this particular excerpt rather than socio-political implications of the text considering its brevity and lack of complete context what was overlooked is the implication that the higher in altitude a high intensity hbomb is detonated the greater the geographical coverage of the emp emitted immediately thereafter in 1962 scientists were unaware of the emp phenomenon fuses blew and burglar alarms went off fuses may not be in their lexicon as it could be an outdated technology i.e vinyl records payphones the verb blow has multiple meanings and without understanding the original reference it becomes meaningless.

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p. 5

the electrons spun around and down the lines of the earth s magnetic field producing a tremendous burst of electromagnetic energy although it invokes visual imagery it may not fit their frame of reference the physics context may be too advanced the word tremendous is multifaceted like outstanding which includes positive connotations a word like massive has a clearer meaning and also invokes images of power this electromagnetic pulse emp traveled swiftly to the earth s surface where it was collected by wires and antennas and caused damage to electrical circuits unnecessarily confusing in terms of grammatical construction and meaning and doesn t add any additional meaning to the concept of damaged circuits furthermore the technology framework of homes in the 1960 s e.g household wiring electrical power stations tv antennas etc probably wouldn t transfer across our efl students in korea 50 years later.

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p. 6

because we weren t certain about the original content of the text with regard to academic discipline i.e social studies or science we chose to reword the first sentence of the passage we flipped the third and fourth sentences in order to activate students thoughts about radiation in effect we took away the guesswork of why there were electrical disturbances in hawaii but we prompted them to think about the scientific reasons for the disturbances how difficult is the edited text to read readability consensus based on 8 readability formulas we have scored your text grade level 9 reading level fairly difficult to read reader s age 13-15 yrs old eighth and ninth graders

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p. 7

edited text version in 1962 the united-states military made a series of nuclear weapons tests a rocket carried an h-bomb 248 miles 399 km above the pacific ocean where it exploded the explosion sent dangerous x-rays and gamma rays traveling over the surface of the earth the rays swiftly traveled over the ocean to the hawaiian islands 800 miles 1287 km away in hawaii electrical safety fuses blew and most lights went out these electrical disruptions were caused when the x-rays and gamma rays from the explosion struck air molecules releasing electrons the released electrons from the explosion created an electromagnetic pulse emp electromagnetic pulses are massive waves of energy these waves can damage electrical circuits.

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p. 8

pre-reading activity ask what do you think of when you see this picture elicit responses from the class write some of the responses on the board any word related to atomic or nuclear bomb circle it and create a cluster diagram as a class read the second sentence aloud from the original text a rocket carried an h-bomb 248 miles above the pacific where it exploded ask students to predict what happened after the explosion.

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p. 9

while reading have students read the passage silently to themselves then read the passage aloud to the students as they follow along for listening reinforcement spot check various students pronunciation and fluency by assigning them a sentence each to read aloud as students read have them underline any unknown vocabulary syntax and/or grammar related items encourage ells to write those terms in their notebooks in glossary format learners should connect with unknown items by writing a definition translating them to l1 drawing pictures or finding possible synonyms/antonyms e.g frayer card-esque etc for scaffolding purposes present the key terms like the following adding more explanation as necessary as an extension students could write or discuss any personal connection with each of the items presented.

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p. 10

nuclear related to atomic and fusion power nuclear explosion:

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p. 11

h-bomb hydrogen bomb gamma rays dangerous electromagnetic radiation that has a short wavelength

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p. 12

fuses electrical safety devices blown fuse metal wire inside melted and broke why?

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p. 13

electrons a negatively charged part of an atom electromagnetic energy what gives off or emits this kind of energy?

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p. 14

post-reading questions and discussion 1 what is the main topic of the passage 2 an emp is a side effect of a nuclear explosion what other side effects do you know about 3 imagine an emp has struck korea how would you deal with having no electricity for a period of hours or days research the following questions online take notes on what you find we will discuss and share our ideas in class next week 1 what was the political environment like in the us in 1962 2 why do you think this nuclear test was carried out 3 how many nuclear bombs have exploded on earth since 1945 4 how do microwaves differ from xrays gamma rays 5 are emp s dangerous to humans why/why not?

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p. 15

bloom s taxonomy tie-in to discussion and comprehension questions

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