Reading habits

1. What kind of booms ir texts are the people reading? Did they chose the books themselves or did someone else choose for them?

2. Describe how they might be feeling at the moment and give reasons.

In picture 1 people seem to be reading whatever they willingly chose to borrow as they are in a library. Picture 2 depicts a 1950s mother and a daughter probably teaching and learning respectively about a flower/plant from a botany book. They seem to be quite interested, so I think they (maybe, the older woman) chose the book to read.  The people in pictures 3 and 5 are reading for pleasure, a Kindle-like book on an ipad and a newspaper.  Especially the Chinese man seems absorbed in his reading. Finally, picture 4 deserved to be dealt with on its own.  It shows several school children reading quietly and attentively the same book in a formal context. No willingness can be discerned from their faces.

Find pictures here:

 Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Pictue 4

Picture 5

3. Focus on one or two of the photos and say how they relate to your own experience as a reader in L1 (Spanish) and L2 (English or another foreign language). Think about the following things:

- What texts do you enjoy reading in each language that you speak?

- Do you choose the same kind of texts or do you read very different things depending on the language? What factors determine your choice? 

- In what format do you read (paper, e-reader, online etc.)?

- When do you read?

I reflect myself on the gray-haired woman in picture 3, as I always read e-books on my ipad which I find very convenient (bright pages, adjustable fonts, huge storage capacity, ebooks are cheaper etc).  In fact, my home bookshelf at the moment is stacked with children´s books (Los Futbolissimos, Harry Potter, Geronimo Stilton and the like). Likewise, I read news online from social media and apps mainly.

 I have to admit that I haven’t read a book in my L1 for a while. As a teacher, I prefer to read in L2 for the sake of my English. To be honest, I am not a “picky reader” in L2. My mood and tiredness, my learning needs or even the context of situation usually determines what I willingly read.

I would like to say that I own a quiet reading corner at home but, I would be utterly lying. I only have time to read before bedtime. Summer is my high-peak season obviously.