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NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsENGLISHWays to improve reading skillsIt is not necessary to carry out all the activities contained in this unit.Please see Teachers’ Notes for explanations, additional activities, and tips andsuggestions.ThemeAll students:Ways to improve reading skillsKeywordsVocabulary FileActivities that are suitable forLearning Support, LanguageSupport and the MainstreamSubject Class include:Activating Students’ ExistingKnowledgeActivities suitable for studentsreceiving Learning orLanguage Support include:Language support:4-67Completing Sentences13Multiple Choice14Preparing a talk15-16WordsearchLearning support andLanguage support:320Working with words8Picture Sentences9Odd One Out10English Keywords11Unscramble the letters12Alphaboxes19Play Snap21-24Grammar points17-18Additional activities forLanguage Support:Levels for LanguageSupportA1 – B1 The language level of each activity isindicated in an information box.Learning focusUsing textbooks and accessing content and learningactivities of the English curriculum.AcknowledgementThe English Language Support Programmeacknowledges the permission of Gill and Macmillan toreproduce excerpts from Less Stress More Success– English Revision for the Junior Certificate byLarry Cotter.Note: The categorisation of activities is indicative only and should not prevent teachers from usingany activities that are considered suitable for a particular group of students. www.elsp.ie1

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsMaking the best use of these unitsLearning RecordA copy of the Learning Record should be distributed to each learning support and languagesupport student.Students should:1.2.3.4.Write the subject and topic on the record.Tick off/date the different statements as they complete activities.Keep the record in their files along with the work produced for this unit.Use this material to support mainstream subject learning.Introduction of a topic or activity should ensure that students understand what they aredoing and why. Many students will have some difficulty in understanding both the languagein the activity and the instructions/purpose for carrying out the activity.You can create your personal teaching resource by printing these units in full and filingthem by subject in a large ring binder.Encourage students to:ooBring the relevant subject textbooks to learning/language support class. Itdoes not matter if they have different textbooks as the activities in these unitsrefer to vocabulary and other items that will be found in all subject textbooks.These units are based on curriculum materials.Take some responsibility for their own learning programmes by:Developing a personal dictionary for different subjects, topics, andother categories of language, on an on-going basis. This prompt is areminder.Recording what they have learnt on the Learning Record,which should be distributed at the start of each unit.Keeping their own files with good examples of the workproduced for different subjects and topics. This file will be aninvaluable learning resource in supporting mainstreamlearning.Indicates that answers may be found at the end of the unit.Don’t forget that many of the activities in these units are also suitable as homework tasks orfor self-study. www.elsp.ie2

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsKeywordsThe list of keywords for this unit is as ormationline of kthemetrain of thoughtunderstandingvocabularywordsVerbsto absorbto beto beginto completeto createto developto exploreto have an idea www.elsp.ieto helpto improveto introduceto skimto need somethingto passto readto rereadto rememberto take into thinkto writeto rewriteto summariseto tryto underlineto ersonalquickAdverbsaccuratelyclearlyquickly3

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsVocabulary file 1WordMeaningNote or mentpleasurememoirexample* You may wish to write a sentence or phrase, make a note of the page in yourtextbook where this word appears or, if English is not your first language, provide atranslation into your language.Get your teacher to check this, then file it in your folder so you can use it in thefuture. www.elsp.ie4

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsVocabulary file 2WordMeaningNote or to absorbGet your teacher to check this, then file it in your folder so you can use it in the future. www.elsp.ie5

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsVocabulary file 3WordMeaningNote or exampleto createto improveto underlineaccuratelyclearlyquicklycomplexGet your teacher to check this, then file it in your folder so you can use it in the future. www.elsp.ie6

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: AllType of activity: Whole classSuggested time: 10 minutesActivating students’ existing knowledgeUse a spidergram to activate students’ ideas and knowledge on the key points in thischapter. See Teachers’ Notes for suggestions.Possible key terms for the spidergram:EntertainmentReadingBooks Invite newcomer students to provide key words in their own languages. Encourage dictionary use. Encourage all students to organise their vocabulary into relevant categories(e.g. meaning, nouns, keywords, verbs etc.).All students should record vocabulary and terms from thespidergram in their personal dictionaries. www.elsp.ie7

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: A1Type of activity: Pairs or individualSuggested time: 30 minutesWorking with words1.a) phraseb) emailc) exampled) think2.a) grammarb) newspaperc) description of a mand) textbookSingular and pluralWrite the singular or plural of these nouns. Be careful about mmaryschoolsmanenjoymentCheck your textbook or dictionary carefully for spellings www.elsp.ie8

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: A1Type of activity: Pairs or individualSuggested time: 30 minutesPicture Sentences - Tick the correct answer1.a) This is an audience.b) This is a novel.c) This is a newspaper.2.a) This is an event.b) This is a debate.c) This is a poem.3.a) These are spellings.b) These are CDs.c) These are chairs.Asking ckstockblockspeckdeckcrackquack? ? ?Change some of the sentences above into questions.Is this ?Is this ?Is this ?Are these ?Are these ?What words doyou know foraskingquestions?Are these ?Now write your own questions about an event: www.elsp.ie9

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: A1 / A2Type of activity: Pairs or individualSuggested time: 20 minutesOdd One OutCircle the word which does not fit with the other words in r of these words refer to people. Can you find the four words?Write as many words as you can for the different members of afamily: www.elsp.ie10

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: A2 / B1Type of activity: IndividualSuggested time: 40 minutesEnglish keywordsFill in the missing letters of the keywords listed below.On the line beside each word, write whether the word is a noun, an adjectiveor a verb.1.des ri ng2.und rs nd3.u de ine4.lea reWrite one paragraph about a person that you know. Use as many adjectives asyou can.Check that all the adjectives you used are in your personal dictionary. www.elsp.ie11

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: A1 / A2Type of activity: Pairs or individualSuggested time: 20 minutesUnscramble the letters1.This is a short piece of a storyAGSEPSAAnswer2.When you give the main points of a storyEURMSSMAIAnswer3.This is the story of another person’s lifeIYOGBRHAPAnswer4.Another way of saying ‘to finish something’OCLMTPEEAnswerLook at eachword as youwrite theanswer.Is yourspellingcorrect?Can youpronouncethe word?Do you knowwhat theword means?Have you gotthis word inyour personaldictionary?Solve the secret codeEnglish ACode BEXGYIFD M N R SC G S Q RTOExample: (code) YBGX GAME (English)QXBCFSY FR MQXBO www.elsp.ie12

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: A2 / B1Type of activity: Pairs or individualSuggested time: 30 minutesCompleting textFill in the blanks in these sentences. Use words from the Word Box.Sometimes we read quickly, because we just want to get information. We wantthis type of reading to be laid out accurately and clearly, so that,as as possible, we can get the information we need.Other reading passages are much more complex. In this case, we might have toto follow the line of thought. We reread to take in andwhat we skimmed over the first time. A good example toof is reading a poem.Word Box:thinkrereadquicklyunderstandpassageWrite a NEW sentence containing each of the 5 keywords from above:thinkrereadquicklyunderstandpassageHave you tickedthis activity on yourLearning Record?Are all these words in your personal dictionary? www.elsp.ie13

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: A2 / B1Type of activity: IndividualSuggested time: 30 minutesMultiple choice(Read the text below and choose the best answers)There are many reasons why we read: for enjoyment, for information, forentertainment, to help us pass examinations, to enhance our store of knowledge, tolearn about events, to be informed about what is happening in the world, or just forthe pleasure of a story.Think about all the things you may have read in the last week: a set of instructions, aletter, emails, an official form, school textbooks, a novel, newspapers, magazines,advertisements, recipes, cinema listings.Make a list of your own showing what you have read in the last week.1.Why do we read?a)for no reasonc)for many reasonsb)d)to pass the timeto forget2. What can reading do for our store of knowledge?a).decrease itb)nothingc).write to itd)enhance it3. What items might you have read in the last week?a)a music manuscriptb)recipesc)the side of a cereal boxd)all of a, b, c4. Should you read for the pleasure of a story?a)Yesb)No5. Should you make a list of what you have read in the past seven days?a)Yesb)NoNow go on, make that list! www.elsp.ie14

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: A2 / B1Type of activity: Pairs / small groupsSuggested time: 40 minutesPreparing a talkYou must give a talk to the other people in your class. You may choose the topic foryour talk:Either What I like to Read or The things that people read every day.Use all the information that you have collected in these exercises. You should alsouse your textbook.With your partner you should use this chart to make notes on what you are going tosay:IntroductionImportant vocabulary(Use your notes, textbook and dictionary.)Conclusion www.elsp.ie15

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsUse your notes to plan your talk:When your teacher has checked this, file it in yourfolder so you can use it in the future. www.elsp.ieHave you tickedthis activity on yourLearning Record?16

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: AllType of activity: IndividualSuggested time: 30minutesGrammar pointsIn this Unit, we came across the following verbs: to improveto tryto describeLook up these words up in your dictionary.The very to try is an irregular verb. Write the different forms here:Verbto tryPresent tenseI .Past tenseI .Verb HuntCircle the 10 verbs in these columns. Score 4 points for each correct answer.Who will score the highest? Perhaps you will. Good itedescribingicebergparentsreadingthinkgaleScore: points www.elsp.ie17

NAME: DATE:ENGLISH: Ways to improve reading skillsLanguage Level: AllType of activity: IndividualSuggested time: 30 minutesGrammar pointsIn this Unit, we came across the following prepositions. Find these words in yourtextbook and check their meanings in your dictionary.A1 level:write the words in a phrase using the textbookA2/B1 levels:put the words into a short sentenceaboutoutinunderonbetweentofromGet your teacher to check your work then file it in your folder in the English section.Have you tickedthis activity on yourLearning Record? www.elsp.ie18