La comprensión lectora en la enseñanza del español LE/L2: De la teoría a la práctica by Victoria Rodrigo (review)

In La comprensión lectora en la enseñanza del español LE/L2: de la teoría a la práctica Rodrigo advances state-of-the-art theory and teaching practices for integrating reading skills into the teaching of Spanish. Serving as part of a cogent line of research on the effects of integrating reading into the Spanish as a foreign language curriculum, this timely publication bridges a much needed gap between research supporting reading as an integral part of second language acquisition (SLA) and classroom practice. Throughout the book, the author explains her goal of motivating students to read in the target language as well as to read a variety of genres and texts.

Following a brief introduction and an explanation of a few preliminary concepts related to reading and SLA, the book is divided into 12 chapters. Afterward, Rodrigo offers some notes, a bibliography, a helpful glossary of bilingual terms, and answers to the activities presented in the book. In each chapter, she provides a consistent format that includes the chapter’s objectives, questions for reflection as readers enjoy the chapter, an overview of ideas, concepts, and studies related to the chapter, activities, pedagogical considerations, critical question appropriate for discussion, and readings that may be of interest to readers in order to gain a deeper understanding of the theme presented in the chapter. The author makes a special effort to relate her ideas to the proficiency levels for reading as set forth by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) and by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

In chapter 1, “El proceso de lectura: fundamentos teóricos,” Rodrigo begins by presenting some general principles related to reading such as top-down and bottom-up processing while paying special attention to cognitive schema theory. She includes 13 activities in which readers can engage before providing several Consideraciones pedagógicas and further readings related to theoretical foundations of teaching reading, which are found at the end of each of the chapters. In chapter 2, “La mecánica de la lectura: características del lector eficaz,” she begins by posing six questions related to the mechanics of reading. In the chapter she discusses the research on various topics such as how eye movement, visual field, and the brain interacts and impacts one’s ability to read. Near the end of the chapter she presents characteristics of effective readers, the importance of readers acquiring reading fluency, and offers some suggestions on how to become a better reader. Chapter 3, “El poder de la lectura: la lectura en L2,” focuses on reading in the second language. Specifically, Rodrigo makes reference to Cummin’s (1979) notion of linguistic interdependence where certain first language knowledge can be positively transferred during the process of second language acquisition. Afterward, she presents the linguistic and cognitive benefits of reading in the second language. Next, in chapter 4, “Estrategias de lectura: los buenos lectores,” she lays out pre-reading, during the reading, and post-reading strategies. Among other parts of this book, I found this section to be of the utmost importance as many language teachers tend to underestimate the efficacy of pre-reading and post-reading strategies and activities. Near the end of the chapter, Rodrigo includes a brief Likert-scale survey that language teachers can use with their students to reflect on certain strategies. In the following two chapters, “La comprensión lectora: la importancia del léxico” (chapter 5) and “Tipos de texto y formas de leer: criterios para su selección” (chapter 6), she discusses the role that vocabulary plays in reading by focusing on incidental acquisition and direct instruction as well as types of text and the criteria that should be used when selecting texts for second language learners. In my experience...