http://www.begintoread.com/articles/reading-with-activities.html

The activities I found, are quite interesting and interactive. They can be applied to 1^st graders as well, using magnets and have them repeat the letters after you. Afterwards the teacher can spell one letter at a time, as the pupils go to the whiteboard to circle it.

Reading comprehension exercises

Many educators in the United States believe that students need to learn to analyze text (comprehend it) even before they can read it on their own. The reason why reading comprehension is such an effective learning tool is that, like art, it teaches students to manipulate particulars in attempt to represent the universal. When a student reads a text, he or she is forced to absorb a great deal of particular facts concerning an infinitude of seemingly random subjects (volcanoes, molecules, skateboarding, etc.) and assimilate them into the bigger picture, establishing just how they fit in, or relate, to the broader world.

I enjoyed this statement and agreed with it, because besides learning to read, it is important to learn how to read – so that the student can understand the reading text, its purpose]message.

For, instance, I gave my pupils a homework: read a text on optimism, don t answer any question but try to remember what was the text about, so that next class I can ask you general questions about it. Of course I also gave them a grammar exercise – pre taught – but it didn t work. Only few of them solved the G exercise and when checking it, I understood that they firstly needed a reading comprehension exercise – in writing – followed by a grammar exercise. They have to grasp the message of the text and afterwards the tense. I guess, when you listen to or read smth in a foreign language, you hear the words, their meaning and try to make out the message. The homework was part of a feedback they needed to improve their understanding of tenses – when does the action happen, what type of action +past, present or a mix of the two.

Scenario of activities

I intend to use one of the reading comprehension exercises to help them better understand texts and use them as models for their writings of – opinion paragraphs *intermediate level*14year olds.

1^st activity: Teacher reads the text aloud, stopping now and then to ask short comprehension questions

2^nd activity: Ss are given a reading comprehension exercise. Pair work.

3^rd activity: Ss correct each other. Teacher steps in when necessary

4^th activity: Ss choose from a list the most appropriate message of the text .

5^th activity: Ss identify the plan of the text – introduction content conclusion, the type of text *opinion narrative descriptive, and check their answers on an answer-key hand-out.

Teaching listening

Depending on each student’s level, the most difficult part for them is to understand the pronunciation, the topic or they may find certain types of listening, boring. I tried to create listening activities around video clips, like: Beyonce – If I were a boy or Brandy – another day in paradise. Activities: Discussion on relationships or poor-rich people, followed by a short presentation of the video clip – they might have already listened to these video clips.

The difficult ones are the exam – listening activities. As I said, they seem too formal although the topics-themes are the same [relationships, rich-poor]