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Lesson plans, reading materials, and adaptable activities support collaborative, culturally aware learning addressing real-world issues like bullying, racism, relationships, culture, and human rights.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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\nThis article details the design and implementation of a reading program in a university EFL setting as a strategy to encourage creativity, critical thinking, collaborative learning, and reading for enjoyment (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001; Richards & Renandya, 2002). This studentcentered project challenged ELLs to address issues such as bullying, racism, relationships, culture, and human rights through reading texts and activities, spanning a range of language levels from beginners to high-intermediate. The program includes a combination of intensive and extensive reading, lower-and higher-order thinking skills, and creative language production in the form of reading group discussions, poster sessions, and character role-plays. Included are sample lesson plans, reading materials, and activities, which can easily be modified for other languagelearning contexts.  \nIntroduction  \nThe role that reading plays in allowing individuals to access  \nknowledge, expand their views of the world, and develop  \ntheir critical-thinking skills is unquestionable. When a person reads, his or her linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural competencies can benefit directly from this intellectual activity. Although the importance of reading today is clearly acknowledged, many students, particularly second language learners, struggle with not only enjoying reading but also with excelling at basic literacy. Because of this need, national, regional, and local educational systems throughout the world struggle to implement reading programs that will both develop students’ literacy skills and engage students in complex critical thought. This is true in (a) monolingual contexts where students are  \nThe CATESOL Journal 28.2 • 2016 • 79  \nreading in their native languages; (b) ESL contexts where newcomers are reading in the language of their new home country; (c) EFL contexts where foreign students are reading in the language of the country where they are studying; and, of course,(d) EFL contexts where students in a foreign country are reading in English. This article details a reading program in that fourth context, a program for students in Colombia who are learning to read in English. We believe that this account of our program will be instructive for second language reading programs in all contexts where teachers are striving to improve student engagement, critical thinking, and creativity.  \nClearly, a lack of development in effective reading skills negatively affects students’ educational performance in all areas; for this reason, our institution found a way to strengthen reading-skills strategies by encouraging students’ creativity. Regardless of student population or context, presenting reading to struggling students through creative activities can motivate them to engage with the texts and explore deeper meaning (Tsai, 2013) . In addition, studies have shown that student engagement in reading is highest when teachers implement extensive reading (Sheu, 2004; Yu, 1999), the use of novels (Murphy, 2010), and collaborative reading projects between parents and students (Omasta & Wolf, 1991) .  \nLiterature Review  \nCreativity is a key aspect to this reading plan given that our student population does not have a preference for reading. Creativity, which, according to Lucas (cited in Saebø, McCammon, & O’Farrell, 2007, p. 207)“is a state of mind in which all of our intelligences are working together,” conveys observing, thinking, and innovating and can be found in the creative arts as well as in any situation. In the process of creating, students generate, plan, and produce, for example, when they “put elements together to form a novel, coherent whole or make an original product” (Krathwohl, 2002, p. 214) . Creativethinking skills as well as critical-thinking skills  \ncome together under the heading of higher-order thinking skills that are grounded in lower level th","cbCaihyKdSkzhkOY","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihyKdSkzhkOY","pdf",353818,26,"English","# Introduction\n# Literature Review\n## Creativity and Higher-Order Thinking\n## Intensive vs Extensive Reading\n## Collaborative Reading Through Shared Work","[{\"question\":\"What is the main purpose of the EFL reading program described in the article?\",\"answer\":\"The program aims to develop students’ literacy skills while promoting creativity and critical thinking, and to encourage reading for enjoyment.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the program address students’ engagement and learning challenges?\",\"answer\":\"It uses creative activities and combines intensive and extensive reading approaches, supported by group discussions, poster sessions, and role-plays to deepen meaning and motivate participation.\"},{\"question\":\"What learning activities are included to support creative language production?\",\"answer\":\"Students participate in reading group discussions, poster sessions, and character role-plays that require them to plan, produce, and represent their understanding creatively.\"}]","Designing an EFL Reading Program to Promote Literacy Skills, Critical Thinking, and Creativity | PDF",1792086046,66]