SHS1 English Language · Semester 1 Week 8: Reading Comprehension

Lesson notes

Learning Objectives

Indicator: 1.2.1.LI.1 - Retrieve specific information and interpret a variety of simple texts.

By the end of the lesson, learners can:

Define skimming, scanning, and close reading in their own words and state when to use each strategy.
Skim a short text (including a social media post or biography) to identify the general idea or gist.
Scan a short text to retrieve specific information such as dates, names, places, and keywords.
Use close reading to interpret a short text by answering literal and inferential questions.
Work collaboratively in mixed ability groups, respecting the views of others while practising the three reading strategies.

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Curriculum details

Strand: Reading (Strand 2)
Sub-strand: Reading Comprehension (2.1)
Content standard: 1.2.1.CS.1 - Demonstrate understanding of different types of reading and text comprehension strategies and use them to interpret a variety of appropriate level texts. 1.2.1.LO.1 Employ knowledge of reading and text comprehension strategies to retrieve and interpret different kinds of texts. 1.2.1.LO.2 Employ knowledge of text comprehension strategies to read for enjoyment and information.
Indicator: 1.2.1.LI.1 - Retrieve specific information and interpret a variety of simple texts.
Suggested placement: Semester 1, Week 8 (Week 8 of the year)
Our suggestion, laid out in curriculum order across three terms of twelve weeks. NaCCA does not fix the week, so follow your school's scheme of learning.
Curriculum reference: NaCCA curriculum document, p. 37

Exemplars (from the NaCCA curriculum)

Group Work/Collaborative Learning: Learners work collaboratively in pairs and mixed ability
groups to glance through short stories with simple texts (including texts from social media) for
specific information (date of birth, place of birth, keywords etc.) while tolerating and respecting one
another's views.
Talk for Learning Approaches (TFL): e.g., Brainstorming, talking circles, partner talk, think-pair-
share, etc.
Skimming:
- In convenient mixed gender/ability groups, learners collaborate to survey texts for the general idea.
- Learners use features such as title of a story, illustrations (e.g., pictures), boldface words, headings and subheadings, topic sentences and concluding sentences of paragraphs (first and last paragraphs) to critically examine a variety of texts (e.g., social media, biographies, etc.) by examining them for the gist of the story.
- Learners use questions at the end of texts to derive the gist of the text.
- Learners read and interpret texts from familiar backgrounds and connect the messages of the texts to their personal lives.
- In groups, learners download (or search newspapers for) positive stories from social media about familiar and popular personalities in the country e.g., musicians, political leaders, etc. and use the text to practise scanning and skimming in class.
Close Reading
Initiating Talk for Learning:
- In groups, learners work collaboratively to closely read, examine and interpret level appropriate short texts.
- Learners work collaboratively in pairs to interpret a variety of texts using a combination of the three reading strategies i.e., scan, skim and close read texts.
Teaching and Learning Resources:
- A collection of texts from social media:
- Passages across the various subject areas (on themes that learners can find interesting).
- Books or articles from social media, newspapers, magazines, etc., speeches from personalities, etc.
- A variety of texts for practising prediction, using KWL, DRA, DRTA/Chunking strategies
- Biographies and short stories on interesting topics
- Prediction sheets (Anchor Charts)
- Videos on reading
- Skits/short plays
Assessment (1.2.1.AS.1). The document marks these depth-of-knowledge levels for this indicator: Level 2 Skills of conceptual understanding; Level 3 Strategic reasoning; Level 4 Extended critical thinking and reasoning.