Worked examples and guided exercises - Reading

Example 1: Skimming. Read quickly to get the general idea. Question: "What is the text about?"

Strategy: read the title, first sentence of each paragraph, and last paragraph. Do NOT read every word.

Example 2: Scanning. Read to find specific information. Question: "When was the Eiffel Tower built?"

Strategy: look for numbers, dates, names -- scan without reading everything.

Example 3: Inference. Text: "Tom looked at his watch and ran to the bus stop."

Inference: Tom was probably late. The text does not say "late" directly, but we can work it out from the clues (looking at watch + running).

1. Read a short text (provided by teacher) and identify: a) main idea (skimming), b) 3 specific facts (scanning), c) 2 inferences.
2. Vocabulary in context: find 5 unknown words in a text and guess their meaning from context before checking a dictionary.
3. True or False? Read statements about a text and justify your answers with quotes.
4. Match headings to paragraphs in a 4-paragraph text.
5. Summarise a text in 3-4 sentences using your own words.
6. Answer comprehension questions in full sentences (not just "yes/no").
7. Identify the text type: article, story, letter, email, advert, instructions.
8. Find examples of the following in a text: opinion, fact, description, dialogue.
9. Write 5 comprehension questions about a text you have read recently.
10. Read a short news article and write a one-paragraph summary.