how to read eficient macmillan
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www.macmillanenglish.com/readers
Casino RoyaleIan Fleming
MACMILLAN READERS
MACMILLAN READERS
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www.macmillanenglish.com/readers
Macmillan Readers feature:
Carefully-graded levels from Starter toUpper intermediate so your studentsget the right reading material for theirability
Extra exercises and Audio CD forselected titles
A truly international range of simplifiedreaders with a prestigious list ofauthors from around the world
Free support material: Worksheets,Worksheet Answer Keys, Answers to thePoints for Understanding comprehension
questions, Extra Exercises, SampleChapters and Sample Audio
Author Data Sheets these two-pagesheets are aimed at teachers andstudents who want to find out moreabout the writers represented in our list
A revised edition of the free teachersbooklet Using Graded Readersin the Classroom
Macmillan ReadersOne of the most popular and respectedseries of simplified readers for learners of English.
Common European Framework
& Macmillan Readers
Starter & Beginner A1 (Breakthrough)
Elementary A2 (Waystage)
Pre-intermediate A2B1 (Threshold)
Intermediate B1B2 (Threshold)
Upper intermediate B2 (Vantage)
Council of Europe
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CONTENTS
1 What are Graded Readers?
2 Why are Macmillan Readers so Popular?
3 How are Readers Graded? A Vocabulary,grammarandcontext B Content C OrganizationofthetextD Texttype
4 Reading and the Common European Framework
5 Why use Graded Readers?
6 How can Extensive Reading Improve myStudents Language Level? A Improvingreadingfluency B Vocabularyacquisition C Languageconstruction D Improvingwritingskills E Buildingconfidenceandindependentlearning F Creatingapositiveattitude
7 How to use Graded Readers in the Classroom A Settingthescene B ChoosingReaders
8 The Class Library A DisplayingReaders B Alibraryloansystem C Monitoringstudentsreading D CategorizingReaders E Suggestedpost-readingactivity F HowdostudentschoosetheirReaders? G Whenshouldstudentsread?9 Motivating Reading During the Year
10 Holiday Reading
11 Motivating Activities
12 Reading Journals and Portfolios
The aim of this guide is to introduce teachers to Graded Readers and provide a wide range of activities and ideas to motivatelanguage learners both inside and outside the classroom.
13 Worksheets, Extra Exercises and Audio CDs
14 The Class Reader
A Howactivitiescansupportextensivereadingprogrammes B Activities
C Pre-readingactivitiesD While-readingactivitiesE Post-readingactivities
15 Using CDs with Graded Readers A WhyusetheAudioCDs B HowtoorganizeyourCDlibrary C HowtousetheCDs D Pre-readingactivities E While-readingactivities F Post-readingactivities G Preparingforexams
16 Using Films with Graded Readers
17 Using the Internet with Graded Readers
AppendicesGuidetoMacmillanresourcesGuidetothestructuralgradingofMacmillanReadersGenrechart
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1 What are Graded Readers?
Mostpeopleagreethatexposuretoalanguageistheirkeytoeffectivelearning.However,itisalsovitaltosuccessthatlearnersfeelmotivated,thattheyenjoylearningthelanguageandthatanxietylevelsareaslowaspossible.Graded Readers meet the needs of todays language learners by maximising reading opportunities in an enjoyable, relaxing andaccessibleway.Therangeoftitlesandgenresavailable,theReadersvisualattractiveness,thequalityofillustrationsandtheirpracticalsizearealladditionalfactorsthataddtotheirimmediateappeal.GradedReadersareshortbooks,bothfictionandnon-fiction,whichhavebeenspeciallywrittenoradaptedwiththelanguagelearnerinmind,sotheywillfindthemquickandeasytoread.Finishinganovelinanotherlanguagewillgiveyourstudentsarealsenseofachievementandwillmotivatethemtogoonreadingmoreandmore.
2 Why are Macmillan Readers so Popular?
OriginallylaunchedasHeinemannGradedReadersover25yearsago,theseriesquicklysetanewstandardinEFLreadingprogrammeswithawiderangeoftitlesandawealthofsupportmaterialstohelpteachersandlearnersgainthemostfromextensivereading.NowrelaunchedasMacmillanReaders,theseriestodaystillcontainsmanyoftheoriginalandmuch-lovedfavouritesbutalsoincludesanevenwiderrangeoftitlestoinspirelearners:fromthrillersanddetectivenovels,romances,historicalnovelsandhumourtosciencefiction,horror,mysteriesandlegends.Theyincludeadaptationsofclassictales,suchasSense and Sensibility, RebeccaandWutheringHeights, andmodernworkssuchastheJames Bond andThe Princess Diariestitles.Therangeoflowerlevelreadersalsoincludesseveralspeciallywrittenandillustratedoriginalstories.TheoriginalauthorsoftheadaptedworksarefrommanypartsoftheworldincludingFrance(AlexandreDumas,Stendhal),Ireland(OscarWilde),Zambia(WilburSmith),Nigeria(ChinuaAchebe),SouthAfrica(PeterAbrahams)andIndia(ChitraBanerjeeDivakaruni),aswellastheUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStates.MacmillanReadersaredeliberatelydesignedtolooklikerealpopularpaperbacks,ratherthanschoolbooks,motivatingstudentsandbuildingtheirconfidencetoread furtherboth inandoutside theclassroom.ManyarenowavailablewithAudioCDs foruse intheclassroom,athomeoreveninthecar,solearnershavegreateropportunitiestoextendtheirEnglishlanguagelearning.TheMacmillanReadersseriesalsocontinuestoprovideyouwiththeverybestsupportmaterialtohelpyougetthemostoutofreadingprogrammes.TodaysresourcesincludeWorksheets,AuthorDataSheets,classroomprojectworkactivitiesandarticlesfortheteacher.Theyareavailablefreefromourwebsiteatwww.macmillanenglish.com/readers
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3 How are Readers Graded?
Whenreadingatextinanotherlanguage,weknowthatlearnersoftenfacecertaindifficulties.Thesecaninclude: Complexorunfamiliarvocabularyorgrammar.Also,alackofcontextforunfamiliaritems Unfamiliarcontent Complexorganizationoftext Unfamiliartexttype
(ref. Scott Thornbury,Beyond the sentence. 2005. Macmillan)
GradedReaderscanovercometheseproblemsbycontrollinglanguageandcontentand,astheirnamesuggests,bybeinggradedintolevelsofdifficulty.A Vocabulary, grammar and context
WithGradedReadersthereisageneralcorevocabularythatlearnersateachlevelshouldhavemetintheirregularcoursework.Theamountofnewandunfamiliarvocabularyiscontrolled,andnewitemsarerepeatedandrecycledsothattheybecomefamiliartothelearner.Theillustrations(suchasphotos,drawings,mapsanddiagrams)cangivethestudentextrahelpinunderstandingdifficultwordsandeventsinthestory.FromPre-intermediatelevelsupward,Macmillan Readersofferfurthersupportthroughglossaries.Allofthesecomprehensionaidshelpthestudentstodeveloptheirreadingabilitywithoutnecessarilyreferringtoadictionaryandthusinterruptingreadingfluency.ThegrammarinGradedReadersisalsocontrolledandlimitedtostructuresthatwillbefamiliartolearnersateachlevel.B Content
Theamountofnewinformationineachsentence,paragraphorchapterislimited.Descriptionsareclearandvivid.Sub-plotsarekepttoanecessaryminimumsothatlearnerscanfollowthestoryeasilyandenjoyably.Whenwereadinournativelanguage,webringanenormousamountofculturalandbackgroundknowledgetoatext.Formanylearners,alackofknowledgeofthecultureorbackgroundcaninterrupttheirunderstandingofcertainauthentictexts.ThisiswhytheamountofculturalbackgroundincludedwithinthetextoftheReadersislimited.Wherebackgroundinformationorreferencesareneeded,supportcanbegivenbythepicturesillustratingthestory(particularlyatStarterandBeginnerlevels,wheretheillustrationsareanimportantfeatureoftheReaders)and/orbyashortsummarywithmaps,diagrams,portraitsetc.atthestartofthebook.C Organization of the text
Theorganizationofparagraphsandchapters,aswellastheuseofillustrations,helpstobreakuptheinformationintomanageablechunksandaidschronology,solearnerscanfollowthestorymoreeasily.D Text type
MacmillanReadersaremainlynarrativeswithsomedialogue.Theymayalsoincludesimplenotesorletters.Thesearethemostlearner-friendlytexttypesandarefamiliartomostreaders.
Macmillan Readers offer a wide and attractive range of short, learner-friendly books which can be read quickly,easily and enjoyably. They are specifically designed to look like real popular paperbacks and are oftenaccompanied by an Audio CD, as well as by a variety of supplementary resources to support the teacher andthe self-study student.
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5 Why use Graded Readers?
MuchofthereadingourlearnersdointheEFLorESOLclassroomisbasedonindividualsentencesandshortreadingpassagesfromcoursebooksorexampracticepapers.Thesearegenerallyusedasafocusforlanguage;studentsareaskedtoconcentrateonvocabularyorstructure,andpossiblytopractiseordevelopspecificreadingskillssuchasscanning,orguessingthemeaningofunknownwordsinaparticularcontext.Thiskindofreadingiswidelyknownasintensivereadingandisimportantinpreparingstudentsfortheextensivereadingtheycandooutsidetheclassroom,aswellasformanyoftheinternationallyrecognizedqualificationsinEnglishsuchasFCEorTOEFL.Extensivereading,ontheotherhand,isaboutcontentandmeaning,andreferstothekindofreadinglearnersmayalreadydointheirownlanguagee.g.readingagreatvarietyoflongertextssuchasnovels,non-fictionorreferencebooks(andnowadays,ofcourse,theInternet)forpleasure,toincreasetheirgeneralknowledgeortothinkabouttheissuesraised.
According to Day and Bamford (Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom, 1998, CambridgeUniversity Press), the aim of extensive reading in language teaching is to get students reading in the secondlanguage and liking it.
Macmillan Readers Common European Framework
StarterandBeginner A1(Breakthrough)Elementary A2(Waystage)Pre-intermediate A2-B1Intermediate B1-B2(Threshold)Upperintermediate B2(Vantage)
4 Reading and the Common European Framework
TheCommonEuropeanFramework isan initiativebytheCouncilofEuropeand is, intheirwords, apracticaltool forsettingclearstandardstobeattainedatsuccessivestagesoflearningandforevaluatingoutcomesinaninternationallycomparablemanner.AteachoftheCEFLevels,therearedescriptorssuchasCanunderstandshort,simpletextscontainingthehighestfrequencyvocabulary,includingaproportionofsharedinternationalitems(A2).Thesearegiventohelplearnersevaluatetheirlearning,communicationandcomprehensionstrategies,andeachoftheskillsonthisscale(fulldetailsofthedescriptorsandlevelsareavailableattheCouncilofEuropewebsitewww.coe.int.Thedescriptorsrefertovariousaspectsofreading,suchasreadingcorrespondence,readingfororientation,readinginstructionsandalsoreadingforpleasure,thatis,readingliterature.Whilemostcoursebooksprovidepracticeofreadingpamphlets,letters,shortarticlesetc.inaforeignlanguage,theGradedReaderisthemostpractical,attractiveresourceforhelpingthelearnertoreallymakemeasurableprogressintheirreadingforpleasure.TheMacmillanReadersserieslevelsapproximatelymatchtheCommonEuropeanFrameworklevelsA1-B2.
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D Improving writing skills
Agrowingamountofresearchhasshownthatextensivereadingoveracontinuedperiodoftimecanhaveadirectinfluenceonotherlanguageskillssuchaswriting,particularlywhenitissupportedbymotivatingwhile-readingandpost-readingactivities.Notonlydolearnersproducebetterwrittenwork,buttheyarealsomorewillingtoexperimentwiththelanguage.Itisdifficulttomeasuretheexactinfluenceextensivereadinghasonwriting.However,aclearlinkhasbeenestablishedbetweentheamountstudentsreadandtheirabilitytowriteclear,coherentEnglish.E Building confidence and independent learning
Intensivereadingcandevelop the readingskillsnecessary foranextensivereadingprogrammeand bothkindsofreadingwillcomplementeachotheronanylanguagecourse.Thereadingstrategiesstudentsaretaughtintheclassroomcanpreparethemtobecomegoodreadersoutsidetheclassroom.GradedReadershelplearnerstoprepareforungradedreading,byprovidingamidwaystagebetweentheshort,gradedtextsofcoursebooksandungraded,real-lifematerials.Thismakesextensivereadingmoreaccessible.Learners readingnovels, referencebooks,newspapersorweb-pages ina foreign languagemay feel frustratedby thedensityofunfamiliaritemsandloseconfidence,whereasGradedReadersareengineeredtoeliminatethehit-and-missnature(oftexts)picked-up-in-the-street(Thornbury).ByusingGradedReadersinanextensivereadingprogramme,wearehelpingourstudentstobecomemoreindependentintheirlearningandencouragingthemtotryouttheskillsandstrategiesontheirown,leadingthemultimatelytotheextensivereadingofungraded,completetexts.Thisbuildsconfidence,andthereissubstantialevidenceshowingthatsuchautonomyresultsinsuccessfullearning.Anyactivitiesyoudecidetousetosupportextensivereadingshouldbedesignedtomotivateandencouragegenuinefeedbackandpersonalopinion,ratherthantotestcomprehensionandpotentiallycauseanxiety.ActivitiescanalsobedesignedtoguidelearnerstowardsevaluatingtheirownprogressandlearninginrelationtothecandodescriptorsusedintheCommonEuropeanFramework.Obviouslyanyprogressthatlearnersperceiveisclearlymotivating.TheMacmillanReadersseriesprovidesteacherswithawiderangeof resourcesand ideas(attheendofthebooks, inthisguideandatwww.macmillanenglish.com/readers)tohelpand inspiretheirstudents.
F Creating a positive attitude
Itiswidelyquotedthatthemoreyouread,thebetterreaderyoubecome.Butwhathappensiflearnersdontactuallylikereadinginaforeignlanguage?Recentstudieshavefoundplentyofevidencetosuggestthatattitudeisakeyfactorinlearningaforeignlanguage.The
wide
choice
of
titles
and
genres
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the
Macmillan
Readers
series
will
appeal
to
abroad
range
of
tastes
and
the
ideas
in
the
supplementaryresourcesshouldhelptoencourageapositiveattitudetoreadingamongyourstudents.7 How to use Graded Readers in the Classroom
GradedReaderscanbeusedintwoways:aspartofanindividualreadingprogrammeinwhichlearnerstakebooksfromaclasslibraryandreadthemontheirown.
Individualreadingallowsthestudentstobecomemuchmoreindependentintheirlearning.Ontheonehand,itallowsthemtoreadwhere,whenandasfastastheywant,andontheother,studentsarefreetochoosethekindofbooktheyareinterestedinandtostopreadingabookandchooseanother,iftheydontenjoyaparticulartitle.Titlesatdifferentgradedlevelsshouldbeavailabletosuitallthelearnersabilities.
asawholeclassreadingprogrammeinwhichallthestudentsinaclassreadthesameGradedReader,generallychosenbytheteacher.
The class reader isalsoauseful toolbecause itallows you toprepare thewhole class for the reading theywillbe involved in.Reading-anddiscussingthereading-inagroupcanhelpbuildateamfeelingandmotivationtotacklethepotentialdifficultieswithunderstandingcontent,issuesorvocabulary.Afterthelearnershavereadthebook,theycanalsodiscussthebookasagroupinclass.Itisadvisabletosetatimelimitforreadingabook,however,asstudentswillbecomedemotivatediftheyhavetowaittoolongforeachothertofinishbeforemovingontoanotherbook.IfyouhaveenoughtimeinyourEnglishclass,theidealoptionistocombinebothkindsofreadingprogrammetomaximizethebenefitsofextensivereading.Itisrecommendedthatyou,theteacher,couldreadandbeseentoreadthesamebooksasyourstudents,whetheraspartoftheclassreaderapproachorparticipatingintheclasslibraryscheme.Ifyouwalkthetalkyourlearnerswillbemoremotivatedtofollowyourexample.
Using Graded Readers in the Classroom
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A Setting the scene
Aswehavealreadymentioned,attitudepositiveornegativeisnowconsideredtobeoneofthekeyfactorsinsuccessfullearning.InthecaseoflearningEnglish,attitudeincludesfeelingsaboutEnglish-speakingcountries,peoples,cultures,musicandcinema.Also,weknowthatmanyofourstudentsdonotactuallyenjoystudyingorreading!Therefore,forextensivereadingintheforeignlanguageclassroomtowork,youneedtosetthescene,creatingorencouragingapositiveattitudetoreading,andtoreadinginanotherlanguage.OncestudentslookattheReadersandgetinvolvedinthereadingitself,theirattitudemaybecomepositiveanyway,especiallyifyouusemotivatingactivitiesbefore,duringand/oraftertheexperience.However,itisagoodideatobegintoworkwithyourlearnersevenbeforetheyseetheReaders,sothatyoucanfindoutabouttheirattitudeandprepareaccordingly.Thebestwayofdoingthisistouseaquestionnaireandfollowitupwithadiscussion.Thequestionnaireshouldincludequestionsabouthowoftenstudentsread,whattheyreadandwhethertheyenjoyreadingintheirownlanguageornot.Whenyourstudentshavecompletedthis,youcanuseitasthebasisforaclassdiscussiontointroducetheideaofextensivereading.Itwillallowyoutoexplainthebenefits,anddecidehowbesttoapproachitwithyourclass.
An example of a questionnaire
1 What do you usually read?
a. Nothingmuchonlyadverts,souppacketsandtheTVpageinthenewspaper.
b. Articles,reports,lettersandemailsatworkIdonthavetimeforanymore.
c. Emailsandwebpagesmostly,notbooks.d. Newspapersandmagazines.e. Non-fictionbookseitherforstudiesorgeneralinterest.f. Abitofeverything,butIpreferfiction,ornon-fiction
bookslikeautobiographies.2 How often do you read for pleasure?
a. Notoften.Ipreferfilms,TV,music,sportetc.b. Sometimes,butusuallyonlyduringtheholidays.c. WhenImill,whenitsrainingorwhensomeonehas
givenmeabooktheyrecommend.d. AsoftenaspossibleIlovereading.3 If you read for pleasure, which of these types of book
do you enjoy?
Crimeandthriller BiographyDetective/mystery TravelRomance HorrororghostHistorical HumourAdventure BookswithfilmsFantasy ClassicalliteratureSci-fi Other(what?)
4 When you are with your friends, do you everrecommend books to each other?
a. No,never.b. No,notveryoften.5 How do you choose the books you read?
a. Ireadthebooksthatpeoplegivemeaspresents.b. Ireadthebooksthatmyfamilyandfriendsrecommend.c. Ireadthebookreviewsinmagazinesand/or
newspapers.
d. Ispendtimeinthebookshoporlibrary,lookingatthecover,readingtheinformationonthebackcover(blurb).
e. IreadbooksbyauthorsIamfamiliarwithandenjoy.f. IreadthebooksoffilmsIhaveseenorwanttosee.g. IonlyreadthebooksIneedformystudies/work.h. WhenIthinkabookmightbeinteresting,Ireadabout
itontheInternet.6 Which of these is closest to the way you feel about
reading?
a. Idontenjoyitinanylanguage.b. Idontmindreadinginmylanguagebutitstoo
difficult/boringetc.inEnglish.c. IreallyenjoyitinmylanguagebutImnotsure
aboutreadinginEnglish.d. IlovereadingandIdontmindwhichlanguage
Ireadin.
Books cant live with them, cant live without them?
Look at the following questions and decide which answers best describe you.You can choose more than one answer if you want
c. Sometimes.d. Yes,alot.
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B Choosing Readers
Whetheryoudecidetocreateaclasslibrary(seebelow)oruseaclassReader,youcanchoosethebooksforthegroup,orbetterstill,thestudentscanhelpyouchoosefromcataloguesoravailableReaders.Looktogetheratthedescriptionsforeachbookinthecatalogueandthecoverimages,noticewhetherthereisanaudioCDaccompanyingthebookandgentlyguidethestudentstolookatthelevelsyoufeelareappropriatetothem.DifferentkindsoftestscanbesettodecideonlevelsofGradedReadersforlearners,butbyfarthemostsuccessfulwayofgettingitrightistouseyourownintuition.Makeaninitialselectionoftwoorthreetitlesfromeachlevelandreadthemthroughyourself.Youwillthenbeabletosuggestlevelsthatwillsuityourstudentsparticularneeds.Asimpleruleis,initially,tochoosebooksslightlybelowthelevelofyourstudentsEnglish.Thiswillreduceanypossibleanxietywhenreadingandbuildtheirconfidence.Iftheyfindthetextstooeasy,theycanthentryahigherlevel.IfyouarechoosingaclassReader,youcouldalsoprovidecopiesofoneortwopagesofthebooksfortheclasstoreadandgradefordifficulty.
Whether it is the teacher who chooses the Graded Readers or the learners, the level of the books chosen should becomfortable for the student to read so that anxiety is kept at a minimum, students are motivated to keep readingand they enjoy the experience.
8 The Class Library
AclasslibraryisalibraryofEnglishbooksortextsmadedirectlyavailabletoEFL/ESOLstudentsintheclassroom.Aschoollibrary,ontheotherhand,isanareaorroomspecificallydesignedtohouseallkindsofbooksandresourcesondifferentsubjects.Thismayseemobvi-ousatfirstglancebutitisimportanttoemphasizethedifference.Aschoollibraryisidealforthosestudentswhoarehighlymotivatedandhavebeenencouragedtoreadfromanearlyage.Theywillmaketheefforttopayregularvisitstotheschoollibrary.However,thisisnotthecaseformanyofourstudentswhofindexcusessuchasIhaventgotenoughtime,IforgotorIdontknowwhichbookstochoose.Ifwecanbringthelibraryintotheclassroom,weareatleastmakingiteasierforourstudentstotakeabookhomewiththem.AtthesametimewearealsoshowingourstudentsthatreadinginEnglishformsanintegralpartoftheircourse.Animportantfactorindeterminingthesuccessofaclasslibraryisthatthestudents,aswellastheteacher,areresponsibleforsettingitupandrunningit.Themoreinvolvedourstudentsbecomeinitscreation,themoremotivatedtheywillbetouseit,andtheyshouldbeencouragedtorecommendReaderstootherstudentsintheclassandtorecordreaderreviews.Youcandeveloptheclasslibraryfurtherandcreateabookclub,wherelearnersdiscusstheiropinionsortheissuesraised,afterreadingcertainbooks,orevenprepareashortpresentationonaparticularReader.Thisbuildsconfidenceinreading,speakingandpresentationskills.A Displaying Readers
Ideally, if you arebased inone classroom, you can encourage students toparticipate inmakingaspaceforanddesigningtheirbookcorner.Thiswillrequireenoughshelf-spaceso thatstudentscansee the frontcoversof thebooks. If,however,youmove fromclassto class, a simple solution is to have a mobile library.An attractive idea is to make acolourful hanging library with individual pockets (preferably transparent), which can becarriedeasily,andfoldedandstoredawayattheendoftheday.KeepingyourGradedReadersandtheiraudioCDsinaboxisanothersolution,butremembertotakethemoutanddisplaythefrontcovers.Theappearanceofthefrontcovertogetherwiththetitleoftenseemstobethemainreasonforabooksappeal,soitisimportantthattheReadersarelaidoutwiththeircoversvisibleasthiswillmakethemmoreattractiveandinteresting.
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B A library loan system
Libraryloancardscanbekeptontheinsidecoverofeachbook.Thesearecollectedbythelibrarymonitorandstoredinasmallboxorinapocketonthehanginglibrarysothattheyknowwhichbookshavebeenborrowed.
Studentscanbeinvolvedinthisaslibrarymonitors;theykeepacheckonallthebooksonloanorthosethatarebroughtback.Bygivingyourstudentstheresponsibilityfortakingcareofthebooksandorganizingthesystem,aswellasbecomingmorefamiliarwiththetitles,youaremorelikelytoreducelossesanddamages.C Monitoring students reading
Alibraryrecordchartcanbecompletedeachtimeastudenttakesabook.Askyourstudentsiftheyprefertodisplaythechartontheclassroomwallorkeepitinafilewiththelibrary.
Studentscanalsokeeparecordofthebookstheyhavereadinapersonalizednotebookor,wheretheyhaveaccesstotheappropriatetechnology,usingablog,aweblogorpersonaldiaryhousedontheInternet.Thisiscalledareadingjournal(seebelow),andmightincludethetitleandauthorofthebooktheyhaveread,thedate,ashortsummaryofthestory,opinionsandreactionsetc.Atthelowerlevels,thiscanbedoneinitiallyinthestudentsnativelanguage.Itisalsousefulifyoukeeparecordofthebookseachstudenthasread,asthiscanbepassedontoteachersoffuturecoursestoprovidevaluableinformationaboutthestudentsinterestandprogress.Ifyourstudentshavekeptblogs,thesecanbeaccessed(withthestudentspermission)directlybyotherteachersandgroups,eitherforinformationorforinterest.
Dr. NoIanFlemingBorrowedby On ReturnedDi P 23/4 12/5
Pl u 16/5
Name Title Date Date Type Recommendation Mark borrowed returned /10Pr S R 6/10 20/10 Avr Es 5/10
Hm ItreEln T Prfc 22/11 14/12 Avr Itreng 8/10
Str
Mrt S n 6/10 20/11 Rmn G ffi 7/10 Sty
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D Categorizing Readers
Tohelpyourstudentschooseabook,youmightcategorizethegradedreadersinyourclasslibraryaccordingtolinguisticleveland/orcontent.Useyourintuitiontoestablishhowthedifferentpublisherscodingsystemsbasedonlinguisticlevelsrelatetoyourstudentsspecificneeds.TheReaderscanthenalsobecategorized-preferablybythelearnersthemselves-intogenressuchasthriller,romance,sciencefiction/fantasy,mystery/horror/ghost,humaninterestetc(seeactivitiesbelow).Inthisway,eachindividualstudentwillfinditeasybothtochoosealeveltheyarecomfortablewithandatypeofbooktheyenjoy.Ifthereisafilmofthebook,youcouldalsoindicatethisbyputtingasmallstickeronthecover.ManyMacmillanReadersareaccompaniedbyaudioCDs.YoumaywishtokeepaseparatelibrarysystemfortheCDs,asstudentsmaywanttotakeoutbooksandCDsseparately.E Suggested post-reading activity
Askyourstudentstoproducecardsforthebookstheyhaveread,toreplaceorcomplementtheinitiallibrarycardsyoumayhavemade.Thesecardscouldinclude:thetitle,theauthor,thegenreoftheReader,asimplerecommendationandarewordingoftheblurbonthebackcoverorashortsummaryofthestory(notincludingtheend!).Thecardscanthenbekeptasaquickreferencenearorwiththeclasslibrary.F How do students choose their Readers?
ChoosingaReadershouldbelikechoosinganyotherbookinalibraryorbookshop.Whenwegotoabookshoporlibraryandchooseabooktotakehome,themostimportantfactorstendtobe:havingenoughtimetolookthroughthebooksavailablewithoutrushing,lookingatthefrontcovers,readingthetitlesandtheblurbsgettingrecommendationsfrom-andexchangingopinionswith-friends,andreadingreviews.Timecanbeallocatedtolookingthroughthebooksinthelibraryduringclasstime,break-times,after-schoolhoursetc.butyoushouldbeavailabletohelpwheneverpossible.Ifyoushowagenuineinterestinwhattheyarereading,studentswillseetheimportanceofreadingaspartoftheirEnglishcourse.Ifastudentfindsitdifficulttodecide,youcanreferhim/hertoreviewswrittenbyclassmates,ortothereadingchartwithgenresandrecommendations,ordiscussingtheblurb,genreandleveletc.ordiscussbookswiththem.ChoosingaReadercanalsobetheresultofsomeofthemotivatingactivitiesdiscussedbelow.G When should students read?
Silentreadingcanbedoneduringclass,ifyouhaveenoughtime,aswellasbeingencouragedassomethinglearnerscandoathome,onthebusetc.Partoftheattractionofextensivereadingisthatstudentscantakeresponsibilityforwhenandwheretheydoit.However,dedicatingthirtyminutesofclasstimeperweektoextensivereadingmaymakethedifferenceforthosestudentswhoareunabletoordonotwanttoreadathome.Studentscanalsoreadtheirbookswhiletheyarewaitingforotherstudentstofinishtheirwork,sotheyarenotwastingthosefewminutesofclasstime,butthisshouldbetheirdecision,notatask.AudioCDsofferfurtheropportunitiesforstudentstolistentothestories.Askingindividualstudentstoreadaloudinclassisnotgenerallyrecommendedasthiscanbestressfulanddemotivating.Thestudentcanbecomeself-consciousabouttheirmistakesinpronunciation,aboutreadingspeedand,infact,aboutperforminginfrontoftheirclassmates.Also,thestudentswhoarelisteningwilltendtotrytospoterrors-orsimplyswitchoff-ratherthanfollowformeaningorenjoythestory.
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9 Motivating Reading During the Year
Whatoftenhappenswithmanyclasslibrariesisthatthestudentsstartwithgoodmotivationandattitude,butbytheendoftheschoolyearonlyafewarestillreading.Itisyourjobtomaintainmotivationandencourageapositiveattitude.Bydoingtheactivitiesinthenextsectionatregularintervalsthoughouttheyear,youaremakingextensivereadinganintegralpartofthecourse.Studentsarethenremindedthattheclasslibraryistherefortheiruseandthatusingitcanbefunandengaging.Bythetimeyoudotheseactivitiesinmid-course,somestudentswillalreadyhavereadanumberofbooksandmightrecognizetheblurbs,summariesorextractsfromtheCDsthatyouareusingintheseactivities.Thisisnotaproblemanditcanbeanadvantage.Studentswhoarefamiliarwiththebookscanhelptheirclassmates.Youcanalsoaskthestudentstosharetheiropinionsandreactionswiththeclass.Byusingawallchart(seeMonitoringstudentsreading),oraclassweb-basedbookclub,studentscanrec-ommendbookstotheirfriends.Thisisoneofthemostvaluableandnaturalwaysofencouragingthemtoread.Alternatively,youcanaskyourstudentstogiveshortpresentationsaboutthebookstheyhavebeenreadingorproduceprojectstobedisplayedintheclass(seePost-readingactivitiespage23).Youcanalsomakeupaquizaboutallthebooksinthelibraryasacompetitionforthewholeclass,includingquestionsaboutthefrontcovers,thetitles,theillustrationsetc.
10 Holiday Reading
Someteachersmaychoosetorecommendextensivereadingasanadditional,holidayactivityduringtheshorterholidayperiods intheacademiccalendar.Manyoftheactivitiesdetailedabovecanbeusedtomotivate,keeptrackofandprovidefeedbackonholidayreading.Areadingjournalmightbeparticularlyusefulforthisapproach,asthestudentswillhavelesscontactwitheachotherforon-goingencouragementduringaholidayperiod.
Perhaps the most effective way of keeping the class library alive is your example to the class; try to show an activeinterest in the library throughout the year, borrow books yourself and show the class that you are reading them.
You can then participate in activities where opinions are shared.
Find the book! Title
1.Thisbookhasfiveshortstoriesinit. T C-Gla B n Otr Stie2.ThisbookwaswrittenbyDickens,andhasa Gr Expci
charactercalledPipinit.3.Thisbookisabouttheownerofaspecial T Mstr o Se
shopinCalifornia.4.Inthisbook,amanisofferedmoneyto Offi ily D
provideanalibi.5.Thisbookisaromanticcrimestorysetina R housecalledManderlay.
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11 Motivating Activities
Thefollowingactivityideas,usingtheMacmillanReadersseries,willletyourstudentsseethevarietyofReadersavailableandhelpengagetheirinterest.Theywillalsothenfinditeasiertochoosethebookstheywanttoread.Ifyouareintendingtorunaclassbookclub,itisagoodideatoaskyourstudentstodothetasksinpairsorgroups,asthiswillcreateamorepositive,socialattitudetothelibrary.
Cover story
1. Hidethetitlesofafewbooksandwriteanumberoneach.2. Givestudentsalistofthetitles,eg: aMarco;bLittleWomen;cDangerousJourney;dTheLastoftheMohicans.3. Showthemeachbookcoverandaskthemtomatchthenumberwiththecorrecttitlebylookingatthepictureonthefront
cover. 4. Checktheiranswersbyrevealingtherealtitleofeachbook. 1=c;2=b;3=d;4=a
Match the blurb
1. Copytheblurb(descriptionfromthebackcover)ofavarietyofbooks,orpreparesummariesincontrolledlanguageusingthedescriptionsofthebooksfromcatalogues. 2. Givestudentsalistoftheblurbsand/orthesummaries,togetherwithalistoftitlesandaskthemtomatchthebooktitletothecorrectblurb/summary.
Note: When preparing this activity, remember that the summaries or blurbs should include some clues about the real title. Anynumber of books can be introduced to the students in this way.
1 2 3 4
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Genres
1. Givestudentsalistoftypesofbooksuchas:humaninterest,travel,shortstories,humour,mysteryorromance.2.
Let
them
look
at
all
the
books
in
the
class
library,
(or
the
books
in
the
catalogue,
ifyou
use
this
activity
to
help
choose
bookstoincludeinthelibrary)readingtheblurbsandtitles,andlookingatthecoversandillustrations.
3. Askthemtoputeachbookinthebestgenrecategoryorcategories.4. Leadagroupdiscussiontodecideonadefinitivewallchartwhichshowseachbookunderthebestgenreheadings.
Studentscanthenrefertothischartwhentheychoosebookstotakehome.
Summary/Blurb
1 Thoseclawshavekilledfourofmyfriends,saidavoice.LarryappliesforajobasacookonanexpeditiontosearchthemountainsofnorthernAfghanistanforthelegendaryandfearsomeToruk.Attheinterview,Larryhasnaggingdoubts.Buthelovesmountainsandheneedsajob.
2 IdonthaveamerryChristmas,saidScrooge.Christmasisnonsense.Itshumbug!IdontbelieveinChristmas.ImnotgivingmoneytoanyoneelsesotheycanhaveamerryChristmas.
3 Thisclassicadventurecomedyfoundedawholegenreofitsown:shortstories,featurefilms,highly-populartelevisionseriesandanimatedcartoons,allfeaturingthepeoplesherowiththeflashingswordZorro!
4 Thelighteningwasallaroundme.Ilookedatthehugebody.Thesilverlightreachedthehands,thefeetandthehead.Foramomenteverythingwasquiet.Wasitmoving?No,yes!Anarmmovedandthenaleg.ThenIheardbreathing.Yes,themanwasbreathing.Hewasalive!
Book title
The Mark of Zorro
Claws
Frankenstein
A Christmas Carol
Human InterestEmmaTheGirlWhoLovedTomGordonTheGreatGatsbyTheEnchantedAprilThingsFallApartHumourTheWomanWhoDisappeared
Crime/detectionMeetmeinIstanbulTheSpaceInvadersTheWomanWhoDisappearedAKissBeforeDying
TravelMeetmeinIstanbulTheGirlWhoLovedTomGordonTheEnchantedApril
Mystery/horror/ghostTheGirlWhoLovedTomGordonDracula
Thriller/adventure/spyAKissBeforeDyingMeetmeinIstanbulTheWomanWhoDisappearedThePerfectStorm
Short storiesNoComebacks
RomanceEmmaTheGreatGatsbyAKissBeforeDyingTheEnchantedApril
Science fictionTheSpaceInvaders
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Youcanalsoaskstudentstolookthroughthebooksanddecideifthestoriesaresetinthepast,presentorfuture.Thisisparticularlyusefulforlowerlevels,asitpreparesthemforthetensestheywillmeet.Listen carefully
1. Givestudentsalistofthreeorfourtitles,orsummariesofbooks. 2. PlaythreeorfourshortextractsfromtheaccompanyingCDs. 3. Askstudentstomatchthecorrecttitlewiththecorrespondinglisteningextract. Note: If you choose an exciting extract with lots of action, this will inspire students to read the rest of the story to find out
what happens.
Key points
1. Chooseafewshortextractsfromthreeorfourverydifferentbooks.Theseshouldincludekeypointsinthestoryorimportantcharacterdescriptions.
2. Givestudentsthelistofcorrespondingtitlesandaskthemtomatchthetitlewiththeextract.About the characters
1. ManyofthebooksintheMacmillanReadersserieshavefamilytreesordescriptionsofthemaincharactersatthestartofthebook.Putstudentsintogroupsofthreeorfour,andselectonebookpergroup. 2. Askthegroupstolookatthepictures(anddescriptions)ofthecharactersandthinkaboutwhattheirsignificancecouldbeinthestorye.g.Whoisthevillainorhero?Whoisthemaincharactersloveinterest?Whoisthebrother/sister?
3. Passthebookontothenextgroup.Repeatstep2. 4. Repeatuntileachgrouphaslookedatatleastthreebooks.5. Youcouldaskthegroupstowritedowntheirthoughts,andthencomparethemwiththestorylater.
Check out the author
1. UsetheauthorinformationatthestartofsomeoftheMacmillanReaders,theAuthorDatasheetsavailableatwww.macmillanenglish.com/readersorfindinformationabouttheauthorontheInternet.ThengiveyourstudentsashortbiographyofthreeorfouroftheauthorsrepresentedinyourclasslibrarybutdoNOTincludethenames.
2. Showstudentsthecorrespondingreaders,sotheycanseethecoverdesign,titleandnameofauthor. 3. Askthemtoreadtheinformationabouttheauthorsandmatcheachwithhisorherbook.Note:Make sure you give enough clues in the biographical data or choose books with clues on the cover, so that the studentscan guess the correct answers more easily eg The Great Gatsby, Sense and Sensibility, No Longer at Ease, A is for Alibi.
In the beginning
1. Putstudentsintofourorfivepairsorgroups. 2. CopythebeginningoffourorfiveReaders(thefirsttwoorthreeparagraphs)ontoseparatecards,andhandthemoutsothateachstudentinagrouphasthesamepieceoftext.
3. DisplaycopiesoftheactualReadersyouhavechosen. 4. AskstudentstoreadtheircardanddecidewhichReaderitbelongsto. 5. Whenyouhavediscussedthecorrectanswers,askthegroupstoworktogethertodecidewhathappensnext.Note:You can refer to this in a later post-reading activity, asking them how close their version was to the real story.
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12 Reading Journals and Portfolios
Asmentionedearlier,onefinalactivitywhichcanbedonewhilestudentsread,andwhichhelpstostimulateandencourageapositiveattitude,iskeepingareadingjournalorportfolio.Thiscanbedoneeitherinanotebookorinaweb-basedblog.Studentswriteabouttheirreadingastheyread.ThisshouldbedoneinEnglishwherepossible,althoughlowerlevelsmayneedtocombineEnglishwiththeirownlanguage.Theycanwriteshortsummariesofthepiecetheyhavejustread,theycanrecordtheirimpressionsofcharacters,theiropinionsonevents,theycanevenwriteabouthowtheyfeel,readinginEnglish.Thisjournalcaneitherbesharedwiththeteacheralone,orperiodicallywiththewholegroup,asawayofsharingideas.Itcanbeusedasthebasisforgroupdiscussionsandbookclub-typeactivities.Excerptscanbecopiedandpinnedupnexttotheclasslibrary,asrecommendationsforbooks,anditcanbeusedtomonitorprogressinreading.ItcanalsobeusedtohelpstudentsobservetheirprogresstowardsreachingobjectiveswithintheCommonEuropeanFramework.Teachersshouldnotbetemptedtocorrecterrorsunlessastudentspecificallyrequestsit.13 Worksheets, Extra Exercises and Audio CDs
Oncetheyhavechosenthebooktheywishtoread,somestudentswillnotneedanymoreguidanceandwillread forpleasure.AtElementary,Pre-intermediate,IntermediateandUpperlevels,comprehensionquestions(PointsforUnderstanding)appearatthebackofeachbook.Thesecanalsobeusedtoprovideintensivereadingwork,whilethestudentsread.Iftwostudentsarereadingthesamebook,orsomestudentshavealreadyreadaparticularbook,thesePointsforUnderstandingcanformthebasisofpairorgroupwork.Other students may need or want more help or practice. Many of the titles from Beginner to Upper Intermediate level have extraexercises at the end of the book. Free worksheets are also available from www.macmillanenglish.com/readers for all the titlesin the Macmillan Readers series. Each worksheet includes pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading activities that can befollowedthroughbyanindividualstudentorbyagroup.Theextraactivitiesandtheworksheetsincludebothintensive(languageworkorpracticeforstrategies)andextensivereadingactivities(content-focused).TheproportionofintensivetoextensiveactivitiesvariesfromReadertoReader.AudiorecordingsarenowavailableonaccompanyingCDs formanytitles intheMacmillanReadersseries.AtStarter level,alltitlescomewithanaudioCDcontainingrecordingsofthreeofthetitlesintheStarterrange.StudentscanusetheCDsinavarietyofways.Theycanlistentopartsoftherecordingbeforereading,whiletheyarereadingorevenusethemasanactivityaftertheyhavereadthewholestory.Thedramatizationofastorycanhelpstudentstounderstandandfollowtheplotmuchmoreeasilythanjustfollowingthewrittentext.Thisisparticularlyusefulforslowerreadersastheyareforcedtoreadatacertainpaceandcangobackoversectionstheydonotfullyunderstand.Forthemoremotivatedstudents,theadvantageoftheCDisthattheyreallycanbecomeinvolvedintheirreadingalmostanywhere;manystudentssaythattheylistentotheCDwhentheyaretravelling.Thisoftenpromptsthemtogoandre-readthesectiontheyhavelistenedtoinordertoconfirmtheirunderstandingoftherecording.ListeningtoaCDwhilereadingalsoaidswordrecognition,asstudentsrelatethewrittenformtothespokenword.Italsosupportslearnerswhohaveamoreauditorylearningstyleormemory,thatis,learnorremembermorefromwhattheyhearthanfromwhattheysee.Youmayfind,however,thatlisteningactivities-particularlyatlowerlevels-aremoresuccessfulifyoureadtherelevantpartoftheReadertoyourstudents,usingprompts,visualsetc,toaidunderstanding.Somestudents feel intimidatedbyrecordings intheclassroom,andmayprefertousetheCDsathome,attheirownpaceandintheirowntime.FormoreideasonusingtheaudioCDsseepage27ofthisbooklet.
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14 The Class Reader
TheClassReaderisabookwhicheverystudentintheclassreads,somultiplecopiesofthesamebookareboughtandreadbothinclassandathome.Thistypeofextensivereadingapproachissometimesreferredtoassharedexperiencereadingaslearnerssupporteachotherbothintheirreadingandintheactivities.Fasterreaderscanhelpslowerreadersandstudentswithmoreculturalorbackgroundknowledgerelatedtothestorycansharethatknowledgewiththeirclassmates.A How activities can support extensive reading programmes
Ithasbeensuggestedthatlearnersshouldnotneedanyactivitiesinanextensivereadingapproach.However,morerecently,severalconvincingargumentshavebeenputforwardtosupporttheuseofactivitiesbefore,duringandafterreading.Pre-readingactivitieshelptobuildapositiveattitudetoreadinginaforeignlanguageandgetthestudentsinvolvedinthecontentofwhattheyaregoingtoread.Readingawholenovelorplayinanotherlanguagecanbeinitimidating,sousingthought-provoking,funactivitiestohelpthelearnersengagewiththecontentwillreduceanxiety,increaseself-confidenceandcreateagoodfeelingaboutreading.Activitieswhilereadingcanhelptokeepstudentsmotivated,providingthemwithasenseofsupportandallowingthemtochecktheirprogress.Apartfromenablinglearnerstorecyclelanguagethroughspeakingandwritingactivities,post-readingactivitiesallowstudentstoconsolidatetheirlearningwithoutbeingtested.Theycanexpressandshareopinionsandideas,givepersonalfeedback,recommendandgenerallyfeellikepartofareadingcommunity.Allthesefactorsaddtomotivationandencouragelearnerstoreadmoreandmore.Furthermore,theywillbeabletoobservetheirownprogressandrefertothecandostatementsintheCommonEuropeanFramework,whereap-propriate.B Activities
Theseactivitiescanbeusedwithdifferentage-groupsindifferentkindsoflearningenvironments.Themainaimoftheseactivitiesistoaidglobalcomprehension,ratherthanamoredetailedstudyofatext.Studentsarenotaskedtoanalyzewordorderorgivethemeaningofspecificvocabularyitemsbecausesuchtasksaremoreappropriatetointensivereading.Theyareencouragedtoignorewordstheydonotunderstandaslongasthisdoesnotpreventtheirglobalunderstandingofthetext.
C Pre-reading activities
Many of these activities can be adapted for use with a class library.
For additional pre-reading activities refer to the Setting the Scene section (page 9) and the Motivating Activities section (page 14) ofthis booklet.
Chapter headings
A 1. TakethechapterheadingsfromthechosenclassReaderandcontrastingReaderandmixthemup.2.
Give
students
the
titles
of
the
two
books
and
show
them
the
front
covers.
3. AskstudentstochoosewhichchapterheadingsgounderwhichReadertitle.
B Somechapterheadingsprovideinformationabouttheirorder.Bylookingatthesechapterheadings,studentscanbegintopredicthowastorydevelops.Totestthis,tryouttheactivitybelow. 1. GivestudentsalistofchapterheadingsfromaReader.Makesuretheheadingsareinthewrongorder.2. Askstudentstodecidewhichchapterheadingtheythinkisthefirstandwhichisthelast. 3. Askthemwhichchaptertheythinkisgoingtobethemostexciting,thesaddest,themostimportantetc. 4. Askstudentstolookattheremainingchapterheadingsandtodecidetheirownorderforthese. 5. Askstudentstopredictwhatwillhappeninachapterortopredictwhatwillhappeninthestory.(Thismayneedtobein
thestudentsownlanguagewithlowerlevels). 6. Askstudentstoinventtheirownstorybasedontheirorderforthechapterheadings.Youcanevenaskthemtowriteashortparagraphaboutwhattheythinkhappensineachchapter.
Theactivitiesbelowaredividedintothreesections:pre-reading,while-readingandpost-reading.Pre-readingactivitiesaimtomotivatethestudenttowanttoread,eitherbygettingtheminvolvedinthethemeofthebookorinthetextitself.While-readingactivitiesaredesignedtoguidethestudentthroughthetext,providinghelpwherenecessary.Finally,post-readingactivitiesaimtogetthestudenttothinkaboutwhattheyhaveread.Studentsaregiventhefreedomtousetheirimaginationandbringtheirownexperiencetobearontheirowninterpretationofthetext.Theyarenotbeingtestedinanyway,butarebeinginvitedtoexpressopinionsandsharetheirreading.
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Using illustrations and other pictures
A 1. Ifstudentsalreadyhavetheircopiesofthebook,askthemtoworktogetherandlookattheillustrations.2. Askthemtodiscusswhattheythinkishappeningineachpicture. 3. Askthemwhotheythinkthecharactersare. 4. Askthemwhattheythinkthestoryisabout.
B 1. Ifstudentsalreadyhavetheirowncopiesofthebook,askthemtolookthroughtheillustrationsforaminuteortwo. 2. PlayashortextractfromtheaccompanyingCD.Askstudentstoidentifywhichillustrationitcorrespondsto.3. Repeatthis,playingthreeorfourextracts. 4. Askthestudentswhattheythinktheystorywillbeabout,whatthecharactersseemlikeandhowtheythinkitwillend.
C Produceindividualdrawings(stickmenwilldo)showingthemaineventsinastoryforstudentstopredictthecorrectorder.RememberNOTtoincludeadrawingshowingtheendofthestory!
Note: Alternatively, you can give the students the chapter headings as well as the pictures to enable them to tell their own story.
D
1. Givestudentsastoryboard,acartoonstrip,ofthemaineventsinthestoryalreadyinthecorrectorder(doNOTincludetheending!).
2. Askthemtopredictthestory.3. Askthemtoguesshowthestoryends. 4. Youmaywantstudentstousepicturesofstickmentodemonstratetheirpredictions,sothattheycancomparethemwith
thebookwhentheyhavefinishedit. E SomeofthebooksintheMacmillanReadersserieshaverealmapsatthestart,toprovidebackgroundinformation.Ifany
studentsarefamiliarwiththeareashown,youcouldaskthesestudentstosharetheirknowledgewiththeclass.F SomeoftheMacmillanReaders,suchasThe Princess Diaries,havesimplepicturedictionaries.1.
Ask
students
to
look
at
the
picture
dictionary
in
their
own
copy.
Discuss
the
items. 2. Askthemtopredicttherelevanceofeachitem.Encourageyourstudentstousetheirimaginationandsenseofhumour!
Thisisbestdoneafterreadingtheblurbanddiscussingthecovers,inordertoprovidesomekindofcontext.
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Looking at the characters
A ManyoftheMacmillanReadershaveafamilytreeorsimilarillustrationshowingthecharactersinthestoryatthefrontofthebook.1. Askstudentstolookatthefamilytreeandspeculateaboutthecharacters,iftheylookfriendly,unkind,sadetc.2. Askthemwhotheythinktheherois,whotheythinkthevillainisandwhattherelationshipbetweenthedifferentcharacters
couldbe. 3. Askstudentstolookattheillustrationsintherestofthebook,tofindmoreclues.4. Finally,ingroups,askthemtowritedowntheirpredictions,tocomparewiththerealstoryafterreading.
Variation:TherearefilmsbasedonsomeofthebooksintheMacmillanReadersseries,andstudentsmayhaveseenthefilmse.g.Pride and Prejudice, Emma, The Great Gatsby, The Princess Diaries, The Perfect Storm.Askstudentswhohaveseenthefilmtoexplainthecharacterstotheirclassmates,followingthefourstepsabove,usingthefamilytreeorillustrationsasavisualaid.
BSomeoftheReadersgiveashortintroductiontothecharactersatthebeginningofthebook.Thissometimesincludestheirname,theirjobandtheirrelevanceinthestory.Youcanusethisinformationtomakeroleplaycardsforyourstudents,addingasmallamountofinformationtoeachdescription.Alternatively,ifyouarealreadyfamiliarwithanyofthebooks,youcancreateyourowninformationcards.Theaimofthisactivityisforstudentstobecomefamiliarwithallthecharactersinthestorybeforereadingthebook. Imagineyouhavesixcharactersinthestoryandthirtystudentsinyourclass.
1. Makefivesetsofthesixcharacterrolecards. 2. Dividetheclassintofivegroupsofsixstudents. 3. Giveoutdifferentcharacterrolecardstoeachstudentineverygroup. 4. Thestudentsreadtheircharacterrolecardsandtakenotesifnecessary. 5. Keepingthefivegroupsseparate,tellstudentsthattheyareatapartywiththeothermembersoftheirowngroup.Theyshouldallstandupandmeeteveryoneintheirowngroupbyintroducingthemselvesandtakingnotesoftheotherpeoplesnames,jobsetc. 6. Oncetheyhavemetalltheotherpeopleintheirgroup,askstudentstositdownagain. 7. Askthemtowritedownwhattheyhavefoundoutabouttheothercharacters.Thenaskthemtowriteabriefdescriptionofwhattheythinktheircharacterlookslike. 8. GivestudentsthebooksandaskthemtocomparetheirowndescriptionswiththeartistsimpressionintheReader.
Note: This activity can be further exploited by giving dif ferent groups of students different selections of character rolecards.The groups would then have to question each other and pool their facts to find the missing information. If you have an unevennumber of students, take out some minor characters from the rolecards.
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Presentations
Beforereading,askyourclasstoresearchtheauthor.Thiscanbedoneingroups(moresuitablefortheclassreader),orindividually(moresuitablefortheclasslibrary).
1. Putstudentsintogroupsofthreeorfour.2. GivethemcopiesoftheAuthorDataSheetsavailableatwww.macmillanenglish.com/readersegJaneAusten,WilburSmith,
PhilipProwse.Alternatively,askthemtoresearchtheauthorusingtheInternet. 3. Askstudentstoprepareashortpresentationontheauthor.Theyshouldconsiderwhenandwheretheauthorwasbornandanyinterestingdetails.
4. Forwrittenpractice,youcouldaskstudentstowriteuptheirownclassAuthorDataSheetbycompilingalltheinformationfromthedifferentpresentations.Thiscanbeputonthewallorkeptwiththeclasslibrary,asappropriate.
D While-reading activitiesForadditionalwhile-readingideasrefertotheReadingJournalsandPortfoliossection(page17)ofthisbooklet.Points for understanding
ManyofthetitlesintheMacmillanReadersseriesincludePointsforUnderstanding,towardstheendofthebook.ThisexampleistakenfromChapter5ofTess of the dUrbervillesbyThomasHardy(Intermediatelevel) 1. Who is in love with whom? 2. What kind of woman does Reverend Clare think will be the best wife for Angel? 3. But Ive met someone else! Why does Angel think that this person will be a better wife than Mercy Chant? 4 But I can never marry you! Who says this and why?
A Askstudentstolookatthepointsandanswerthemastheyread,forexampleintheirreadingjournals. B UsethePointsforUnderstandingasthebasisforanactivityintheclassroom.
Putlearnersinpairsandaskthemtodiscusstheiranswers. Allowthemtorefertotheirbooksiftheywish,sotheydontfeeltheyarebeingtested. SometitlesincludePointsforUnderstandingwhichencouragethistypeofdiscussion.ThisexampleistakenfromChapter5of
The Jewel That Was OursbyColinDexter(IntermediateLevel). Morse learns that Ashenden has lied to him about what he was doing the previous afternoon.
What has made Morse suspicious?
Putting events in order
1. Givestudentsanumberofrandomlyorderedeventsfromachapterofthebook. 2. Askthemtoputtheeventsintothecorrectorderwhiletheyarereading. 3. Givethemvariousgroupsofsentencesaccompanyingdifferentchaptersinthebook. 4. Askstudentstoreadthesentencesandputthemintothecorrectorder.ThisexampleisbasedonChapter12ofThe Black Cat byJohnMilne(ElementaryLevel). Salahadin and Peterson walk up the stairs to the deck. The gun falls. Peterson finds Salahadin in his cabin. A man falls into the sea. Peterson and Salahadin talk on deck. Peterson sees the Black Cat on the bed.
Note: The sentences aim to summarize the events in the chapter and act as a guide to the students, to help them pick out the keypoints in the story.
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Variation: Includearedherring(aneventwhichdoesnotactuallyoccuratallinthechapterinquestion).Studentsputtheeventsinorder,aspreviousexercise,andidentifythefalseevent.Forexample:
Salahadin and Peterson walk up the stairs to the deck. The gun falls. The steward knocks on the door of the cabin. Peterson finds Salahadin in his cabin.
A man falls into the sea. Peterson and Salahadin talk on deck. Peterson sees the Black Cat on the bed.
Predict the story
1. Dividestudentsintopairsorgroups. 2. Chooseakeypassageinwhichanunexpectedeventoccurs. 3. Givestudentsthefirstandlastlineofachapter,orofasectionofachapter. 4. Askthemtopredictwhattheythinkwillhappeninthispartofthestory.Predictions using key words
1. Givestudentsaselectionofkeywordsinthesameorderastheyappearinthebook. 2. Askthemtopredictwhathappensinthispartofthebook. ThisexampleisbasedonthefirstfourchaptersofThe StrangerbyNormanWhitney(ElementaryLevel).
These words are from the first part of the story. Read them with yourpartner and talk about what you think happens in the story.
VILLAGE STRANGER BUYS HOUSE SHOP SPECIAL ROOM UNUSUAL CUSTOMER
PALE AND FRIGHTENED
Ifyouwishtopre-teachsomevocabulary,youcanincorporatesomeoftheitemsfromtheglossaryattheendofthebooks(fromPre-intermediatelevelupwards).Using illustrations
A 1. Putstudentsintogroupsofthreeorfour.2. Presentstudentswiththeillustration(s)beforereadingthechapter
orasectionoftheReader.3. Askthemtodiscusswhattheythinkisgoingtohappenin
thechapter,orwhattheythinkthepictureisreferringto. 4. Youcanusetheillustrationstopresentorelicitvocabulary,ifappropriate,particularlyassomeofthenewitemsaresupportedbyillustrationsinmanyoftheMacmillanReaders.
5. IfstudentsowntheircopiesoftheReader,theymaywanttolabelnewitemsinthepicture,orcopythepicturesintotheirreadingjournalandlabelthem.
Intheexamplestudentshavespeculatedaboutwhatishappeninginthepicturetheyarealreadyfamiliarwiththecharactersatthispointandhavelabelledtheillustrationwithvocabularyitemswhichcouldhelptheirunderstandingofeventsinthechapter.
Forexample,thisillustrationistakenfromPartThreeMarion,3inA Kiss Before DyingbyIraLevin:
h
r
mk
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B 1. Putstudentsintopairs. 2. Askeachstudenttochooseanillustrationintheirbookrelatedtoapartofthestorytheyhavealreadyread.Theyshouldnotshowtheirpartnerthepicture. 3. Eachstudenttakesitinturntodescribetheirpicture.Theirpartnerlistensandexplainswhichpartofthestorythepicturerefersto.
Points of view
A Invitestudentstoretellapartofthestoryasiftheywereamaincharacterinthestory,usingI... B Getstudentstoretellpartofthestoryfromthepointofviewofanothercharacter.
AandBcanbefurtherexploitedifyouaskquestionsatappropriatepointsinthestorysuchas,How do you feel? orWhat doyou think of ...? Youmightevenwantthecharacterstosaywhattheythinkabouteachotheratthispointinthestory(thatis,thestudentsimpressionofwhatthecharactersprobablythinkofeachother).
Character studies1. Askstudentstoassessandmakenotesonthequalitiesoftwoorthreecharactersatdifferentpointsinthestory,egbravery,
cruelty,generosity,selfishnessetc.2. Thenputstudentsinpairsorsmallgroupstocomparetheirimpressions.Dothesequalitieschangeasthestoryprogresses? 3. Askstudentstowritedowntheirviewsintheirreadingjournals,ifappropriate.
E Post-reading activities
Thevalueofextensivereadingoftenbecomesclearertostudentsthroughpost-readingactivities,especiallythosethatinvolvediscussion,followedbywritingupfeedbackonthediscussion.Theymotivatelearnersastheyareallowedtosharetheirreadingandopinionsandtoconsolidatelanguagetheyhavelearnedwhilereading.IfstudentsliveinaEuropeancountry,theycanincorporatesomeofthedescriptorsfromtheCommonEuropeanFrameworkofReferenceintotheirReadingJournal.Youcanalsohelpyourstudentstoevaluatetheirownlearningstrategiesandtheirprogressinoverallreadingcomprehension.Itis
important
that
these
feedback
activities
are
non-competitive,
with
no
right
answers
being
required,
only
personal
reactions.
Characters
A 1. Selectpartsofthestoryinwhichdifferentcharactersarebeingdescribed.Copythesepassages,butdonotcopythenameofthecharacterifitappearsinthedescription.Handoutthedescriptionstothestudentsordisplaythemonanoverheadtransparency. 2. Askstudentstotellyouthenamesofallthecharactersinthestory,writethislistontheboardoraskstudentstowritethislistdowninpairs. 3. Whenstudentshavereadthedifferentcharacterdescriptions,askthemtowritedownthenameofthecharactertheythinkisbeingdescribedineachpassage. 4. StudentscanchecktheiranswersintheReader.
B 1. Askstudentstotalkabouttheirfavourite,orleastfavourite,characterinthebook.2. Theyshoulddescribethecharacter,mentionsomeofthethingsthecharacterdoesinthestoryandjustifytheirfeelingsfor
thecharacter.3. Thiscanbeaspokenorwrittenactivityandcanbewrittenhomeworkorpartofareadingjournal.
C 1. Putstudentsintopairs. 2. Askonestudentineachpairtoimaginethattheyareoneofthecharactersinthebook. 3. Asktheotherstudenttobeanewspaperreporter,interviewingthecharacterfromthebook. 4. Studentsintervieweachotherandthenreverseroles.Theymaychangecharacteriftheywant. 5. Theythenwriteuptheinterviewsasareport.
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Guessing game
A 1. Studentsplayinpairsorsmallgroups.2. Ontheboard,writealistofthecharactersinthestory.3. Onestudentineachgroupthinksofacharacterfromthelist,theotherstudentsaskyes/noquestionsinorderto
guessthecharacter. B 1. Askstudents(particularlyatlowerlevels)tomakeaWantedposter,oraSinglemaleseekstypeadvertisementfortheir
favouriteorleastfavouritecharacter.2. Theotherstudentsthenguesswhotheposteroradvertisementisreferringto.Forexample:
Single lady around forty, living with mother and one niece in own small house. Seeks friendly person for conversation,cards, tea and cake. Must be patient and a good listener.
(Miss Bates Emma by Jane Austen)
Continue the story or What happens next ...?Studentsspeculateonwhathappensafterthestoryends.Variationsofthisactivityareasfollows: A 1. Putstudentsintogroupsofthreeorfour. 2. Askstudentstodecidewhathappensnext. 3. Askthemtocastthesequel,anddesignthestoryboard. 4. Eachgroupshouldthenpresenttheirversiontotheclass,usingthestoryboardasvisualsandjustifytheirchoiceof
actorsforthecast. B 1. Putstudentsintopairs. 2. Askthemtoimaginethattwoofthemaincharactersmeetagainaftertenyears. 3. Studentsthenwritethedialogue. 4. Askstudentstoperformthedialoguefortherestoftheclass,ormakeanaudioorvideorecordingiftheywantto.
C AskstudentstowriteTheNextChapterforhomework.Withlowerlevels,youmaywantthemtodrawsimpleillustrationsandusecaptionsorspeechbubbles,ratherthanwriteacompletetext.
What if ...?
1. Askstudentstoimaginethatakeyeventinthestorytheyhavereadhadnothappened,orhadhappeneddifferently.Imagineforexample,thatEmmahadnotmarriedMrKnightley(EmmabyJaneAusten)orthatRachelhadnotgoneforawalkinthesunkengarden(My Cousin Rachel byDaphneduMaurier).
2. Putstudentsintosmallgroupstowritethealternativeendingtothestory.Thiscanbedoneeitherasapresentation,adialogue/playoraswrittenhomework.
Comic-book dialogues 1. SomeoftheReadersatStarterandBeginnerlevelincludedialoguesinacomic-bookformat,withfull-colourillustrationsandspeechbubbles,forexampleinMarcobyMikeEsplen,The Long TunnelbyJohnMilne(bothBeginnerlevelbooks)orL.A.DetectivebyPhilipProwse(Starterlevel).
2. Studentsactoutthedialoguebetweenthecharactersandincludeanarratorforthenon-dialoguechunks.Theycanrecordtheirownworkoncassette,audiofileorvideo.
Thisillustrationistakenfrompage5ofIn the FramebyPollySweetnan.
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Comic-book writing tasks
Thepartofthestorythatisinstrip-cartooncanbeusedasawritingtaskinwhichthestudentsrewritethispartinnarrativeform.Write a play
1. Askstudentstorewritethestoryinplayform.2. Theycanthenactitouttotherestoftheclass,ormakeanaudioorvideorecordingoftheirversion.
Write a screenplay (project)
1. Studentsworktogetheringroupstoturnthestoryintoascreenplay(orpartofthestory).2. Askthemtoconsiderwhichactorswouldbeidealfortheroles,wheretheywouldsetthestory,iftheywouldchangethe
period,whatmusictheymightuseetc.3. Theycanpresenttheirworktotherestofthegroupasaposter,apresentationorasanarticle.4. Theycanalsowritethescriptforpartofthestory,oreventhecompletestory.ThiscanbedonefromStarterlevelupward
egusingJohnMilnesThe Magic Barber.IfthereisalreadyafilmoftheReader,youmaywanttoshowyourclassthefilmafterthisproject,forthemtocomparetheirideaswiththoseofthedirector.
Board game
Makeaboardgamewithquestionsaboutthetextindifferentsquares.Questionscanincludefactsaboutevents,howcharactersreacttodifferentevents,whosaidwhatandsoon.Whenastudentfallsonaquestionsquare,theothersinthegroupcanreferbacktothebooktochecktoseewhetherthequestionwasansweredcorrectlyornot.Askstudentstomakeupthequestioncards,andyouprovidethebasicboard.Ifyouputstudentsintogroupstopreparethequestions,thiswillnaturallyleadtodiscussionandconsolidationofunderstanding,plusrecyclingofvocabularyastheyworktogether.Italsomeansthateachstudentwillbeconfidentthattheyknowtheanswerstoatleastsomeofthequestions!Quiz game
1. PutstudentsintogroupsofthreeandaskthemtopreparesomequestionsoraquestionnaireontheReader(events,characters,
quotations,
author,
setting,
new
vocabulary,
even
questions
about
the
illustrations
particularly
at
lower
levels).
2. Organizeaclassteamquizusingthequestions.
Summarize the story
Plotsummariescanbemademorerealisticbyaskingthestudentstosummarizethestory,foraspecificreason.Forexample: inareviewtobeusedasarecommendationforotherstudents.Thesecanbekeptinafileintheclassroom,orwiththeclasslibrary,ifyouareusingone inaletteroremailtoafriend inadiaryentryforthecharacter inareadingjournalorblog asanewspaperreport(particularlygoodformysteriesandcrimestories).Withthisvariation,youcanalsoaskstudentstorecordtheirreportasaTVorradionewsitem.
Match the quote
Takeanumberofquotationsfromthestoryandaskstudentstosaywhichcharactersaideachone.
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Using the Audio CD
A 1. Putstudentsintoteamsofaboutfour.2. PlayshortextractsfromtheCDandasktheteamstonotedownwhathadjusthappenedbeforetheextractandwhat
happenedimmediatelyafter. B 1. Putstudentsintoteams.
2. Playshortpartsofthedialogueandasktheteamstodecidewhosaideachpiece.I liked this bit best ...
Ifastudent-orstudents-hasparticularlyenjoyedabook,youcouldaskthemtoreadouttheirfavouriteextract.Thisshouldbedonewithcare,shouldalwaysbeoptional,andisnotrecommendedatthelowerlevels,astheexperienceofreadingoutloudinaforeignlanguagecanbeverystressful.However,somelearnersmayactuallywanttosharepartoftheReader,justastheymightreadapieceoutfromanoveltofriendsintheirownlanguage.Using the illustrations
A IfyouareusingaClassLibrary,ratherthanaClassReader,whenyourstudentshaveallfinishedatleastoneReader,puttheminpairsandaskthemtoshoweachothertheillustrationsinthebooktheyhavereadandexplainthestorybehindeachpicture.Theyshouldnottelltheirpartnertheendofthestory!
Variation:Putstudentsinpairsandgetoneofthestudentstoasktheotherquestionsabouttheillustration.Thepersonwhoisansweringcanonlygiveoneortwo-wordanswers.
B Atlowerlevels,youcanaskstudentstoproducestickmenstoryboardstotellpartofthestorytheyhaveread.Theythentellthepieceofstory,withtheirpictures,tovariouspartnersintheclass.Youcanthenaskstudentstowritedowntheirpartofthestory,usingtheirstickmenstoryboardsasillustrations.
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15 Using CDs with Graded ReadersAudiorecordingsarenowavailableonaccompanyingCDsforthebestsellertitlesintheMacmillanReadersseriesandareaveryusefulaidtocomprehension.A Why use the Audio CDs?
Wehavealreadymentionedthatthemoreyouread,thebetterareaderyoubecome,andthisisalsotrueoflisteningthemoreyoulistentoaforeignlanguage,themoreyouunderstanditandthemoreyouunderstandit,themorerelaxedyoufeelaboutlisteningtoit.Thisisparticularlytrueifthelistenercanrefertothewrittentext,atleastatlowerlevels,toreduceanxiety.LearnersareoftenfamiliarwiththewrittenformofwordsinEnglish,eitherbecausetheyhavealreadyencounteredthemintheirregularclassworkorbecausetheyareverysimilartowordsintheirownlanguage.However,theyoftenfinditdifficulttorecognizethesewordswhentheyhearthem,becauseoftheirunfamiliarsoundorbecauseofcertainfeaturesofspokenEnglishe.g.theshwhichsuddenlyappearsinwordslikeambition.BylisteningtotheaudioCDwhiletheyread,learnersbecomemoreandmorefamiliarwiththesoundofwordsandrecognitionbecomesautomatic.Anxietythenreducesandattitudeimproves,asstudentsperceivetheirprogress.StudentswhoarenotlearningEnglishinanEnglish-speakingcountryhavelimitedaccesstoextensivelistening.Mostrecordingsusedintheclassroomareforintensive,language-orientatedexercises,whilstyou,theteacher,maybetheonlysourceoflisteningforpleasureorcontentthattheyhave.IfstudentshaveaccesstotheCDsthataccompanytheirReaders,theycanhearavarietyofnativevoices,maleand
female
with
varying
accents.
The
more
CDs
they
listen
to,
the
more
exposure
they
have,
not
only
to
vocabulary
and
grammar
input,
buttopronunciationandintonation.Theyalsohavemoreautonomyandcanlistenwhentheywant
-
inthecar,inthebath,relaxingathome,overheadphonesonthebus-ratherthanbeinglimitedtotheclassroom.
B How to organise your CD library
ThisratherdependsonhowyouorganiseyourReaderslibrary,whetheritisfixed(inoneclassroomorarea)ormobile.However,ifyoukeepyourCDsinabox,remembertodisplaytheminclassalongsidethecorrespondingbooks,sothatyourstudentsareawareofthem.Aneye-catchingideaistokeepthemincolouredjewelcaseswhichduplicatethecolour-codingindicatingthelinguisticlevels.YoumayalsowishtokeepaseparatesystemofindexcardsfortheCDs,asnotallthestudentstakingbooksoutonloanwillwanttolistentotherecordings,andviceversa.C How to use the CDs
Aswiththereadingactivities,thelisteningactivitiesareorganisedaccordingtopre-reading,while-readingorpost-readingactivities.Someactivitiesprovideextensivelisteningsupport,whilstsomearemoretraditional,intensivelisteningactivities.
Using Audio CDs alongside Readers helps your students to read faster, and make rapid progress as they become familiar withmore and more language, both in the written form and the spoken form. It provides you, the teacher, with a source of a varietyof native voices, and gives the learner more autonomy.
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D Pre-reading activities
Emotions
Withlowerlevels,playshortextractsofdialogue,andaskstudentstoidentifytheemotionsexpressedintheextracts.
Variation:Asawhile-readingactivity,whenstudentsarefamiliarwiththenamesofthecharacters,writethewordsfor theemotionsontheboard,playtheextractsandaskthestudentstoidentifythecharacters.
Matching information
1. Writesomecharactersnamesontheboard,withsomeinformationaboutthemmixedupinasecondcolumn.2. Playthecorrespondingextract,andaskyourstudentstomatchthenamestotheinformation.
Giving names
Provideinformationaboutsomeofthecharacters,andaskthestudentstogivethenames. ThisactivityandMatchinginformation,above,workwellwiththefirstpagesofmanyoftheReaders.
Picture dictation
1. Playadescriptivepassagemanyofthereadersstartwithadescriptionofthemaincharacters. 2. Askstudentstodrawthepicture. 3. Theycanthencomparetheirpictureeitherwiththeillustrationsinthebook,orbycross-checkingthetextinthebook.
Find the picture
1. IfstudentsalreadyhavetheirowncopiesoftheClassReader,askthemtolookthroughtheillustrationsforaminuteortwo. 2. PlayashortextractfromtheaccompanyingCD.Askstudentstoidentifywhichoftheillustrationsitcorrespondsto.
3. Repeatthis,playingthreeorfourextracts. 4. Askstudentswhattheythinkthestorywillbeaboutorwhatthecharactersarelike.
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Writing dialoguesThisactivitycanbedonebeforeorafterreading.
1. Givestudentsanarrativeversionoraflowchartofadialogue.2. Askthemtowritewhattheythinktheoriginaldialoguewas. 3. PlaythecorrespondingextractontheCDandletstudentscomparetheirversionswiththeoriginal.
ThisexampleisfromShooting StarsbyPollySweetnam,Starterlevel.
Dictogloss
This activity can actually be done before or after reading, and with any level. It is a way of focusing on language but it alsotrains
learners
not
to
try
to
listen
for
every
single
word.
1. Chooseashortextractfromyourreader,aroundfivesentenceswilldo.2. PlaytheCDandallowstudentstonotedownanywordstheycatch.Tellthemthattheydontneedtonotedown
completesentences.3. Playtheextractagain,repeatingstage2. 4. Putstudentsintosmallgroupsandaskthemtobuildthetext,usingthewordstheycaught,andtheirknowledgeof
thelanguage.5. Whentheyaresatisfied,comparethedifferenttextsthegroupshaveproducedandallowthemtolookattheir
bookstocheck.E While-reading activities
Tell me a story
ThemostobvioususeoftheCDisasastory-teller,particularlyifyoudontfeelconfidentyourselfaboutreadingthestorytoyourclass.TheCDwillalsoprovideanalternativetoyourownvoice,andagoodmodelforintonationpatterns.Studentscanfollowintheirbooksiftheywish.Mumbling
Askingindividualstudentstoreadaloudinclassisnotgenerallyagoodidea,asthiscanbestressfulanddemotivating. However,usingtheCDinclassasstudentsread,andaskingthemtomurmur,e.g.readoutloud,butquietly,canhelptogeltherelationshipbetweenthewrittenformandthespokenformofwordsinyourstudentsminds.Itcanalsohelpwithpronunciationandreadingspeed.Setting the scene
YoumaywanttousetheCDtodoamoretraditionalscene-settingactivity,whichisparticularlyusefulwithlowerlevels.Usetherecordingofthenextchapterorsectionofthebooktheyarereading.1.Ontheboard,writewho?,where?,when?(ifappropriate)andwhathappened?.2.Askstudentstolistentotheextractandmakenotesundereachheading.3.Studentscomparetheirimpressions.4.Allowthemtolistenatleastoncemore,andcompareimpressions.5.AskthemtoreadthesamepartintheClassReaderandchecktheiranswersagain.
Lisa tells Eleni the meal was wonderful.Eleni thanks Lisa.Alice asks Eleni what they can do on the island.Eleni says there are a lot of exciting things;she recommends the museum because it has got some beautiful statues.
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Reactions
Whetheryourstudentsareusingreadingdiariesornot,itisusefulandmotivatingtoaskyourstudentstoreacttopartofthestory.1. Chooseanextractoraskastudenttochooseasectiontheyenjoyedandplayittotheclass.2. Playitasmanytimesastheywant.3. Askstudentstoretelltheextract,toreacttothevoicesorevents,todescribethecharactersemotionsandreactionsto events,oracombinationofanyofthese,inwrittenform.4.
Then
ask
students
to
read
the
same
section
in
the
book,
and
modify
or
compare
their
reactions.
Thisactivitycanalsobedonetheotherwayaround,withstudentsfirstreadingthenlistening,astheactorsvoicescanaddanotherdimensiontothetext.Dontasklower-levelstudentstogiveadetailedreactionafterlisteningtotheCDextractonlyonce,however,asthatcouldcauseanxietyandbedemoralizing.AsimplequestionsuchasHowisthemaincharacterfeelinghere?orWherearethey,inthissection?shouldbeenough.Then,ifyouplaytheextractseveraltimes,theycandeveloptheirresponses.Predicting vocabulary
1. GivestudentsasummaryofthenextchapterorsectionoftheReaderthattheyaregoingtoread.2. Askthemtoguesswordsthattheythinktheymightmeetinthechapterandwritethemdownonapieceofpaper.
Theycanaskyouforwordstheydontknow,oruseagooddictionary,orwithMacmillanReadersatPre-Intermediatelevelandabove,theycanusetheglossariesattheendofthebooks. 3. PlaytheappropriateextractontheCDandaskstudentstotickthewordstheyhear.
4. StudentsthencheckbyreadingthesamepagesintheirReader.ExamplefromBlue FinsbySarahAxen,Starterlevel.
Jen goes snorkelling at the beach.
Spot the error
A 1. Drawascenefromthereader,butchangesomeinformation.2. Givestudentsphotocopiesofyourpicture.3. Playtheappropriateextractandaskstudentstoidentifytheerrorsintheimage.
B 1. Copyoutasectionofthetextordialogue,butchangesomewords,suchasnames,nounsoradjectives.2. Givestudentsphotocopiesofthenewtext.3. Askthemtounderlinethewordstheythinkarewrong.4.
Play
the
corresponding
extract
on
the
CD
for
students
to
check
and
underline
any
more
wrong
words
they
identify.
C 1. Copyoutasectionofnarrativeordialogueandaddinextrawords. 2. Givestudentscopiesofthenewtext,andaskthemtoguesswhichwordsarewrong. 3. Studentslistentotherecordingandcrossouttheextrawords. 4. Askthemtoreadthesamesectionintheirbooksandcheck. 5. Listenagainandaskstudentstomurmur(seepage29).
n u w
nrk w v
r tr fl
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Getting the order right
A 1. TakesomesentencesfromthenextsectionoftheClassReaderandchangetheorderofthewords.2. Askstudentstoputthewordsinthecorrectorder. 3. PlaytheCDandgetstudentstochecktheirsentences.B 1. TakesomekeysentencesfromthenextsectionorchapteroftheReader,preferablysentencesgivingthemaineventsofthe
extract.Changetheorderofthesentences. 2. Askstudentstoworkinpairsandtrytoguessthecorrectorderofthesentences/events. 3. PlaytheCDandgetthemtochecktheirideas. YoucouldusethesentencesfromactivityAforthisactivity. C 1. DothesameasinactivityB,butaddintwosentenceswhicharenotactuallyfromtheReader(redherrings).
2. Whenstudentslisten,theydecidewhichtwosentencesarefalse,andthenchecktheorderoftheothers.Key words
1. Playasentence,butstoptheCDbeforeakeywordthiscaneitherbealexicalitem,ifyouwanttoworkonlanguage,orapieceofinformationsuchasaname,ifyouwanttocheckcontent.Thisisagoodtechniquefortraininglearnerstoactuallylistenandcouldbedoneasawhile-orpost-readingactivity. 2. Studentsguesswhatwordshouldcomenext.
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F Post-reading activities
Play-actingSome of the Readers at Starter and Beginner level include dialogues in a comic-book format, with full-colour illustrationsand speech bubbles, for example in Marco by Mike Esplen, The Long Tunnel byJohn Milne (both Beginner level books) or L.A.DetectivebyPhilipProwse(Starterlevel).
1. Studentsactoutthedialoguebetweenthecharactersandincludeanarratorforthenon-dialoguechunks.2. Theycanrecordtheirownworkoncassette,audiofileorvideo.3. Youcanaskgroupstorehearseandactoutdifferentscenesfromtheplay,andthiscanberecorded,asabove.UsetheCDtohelpstudentsprepareforthepronunciationoftheirdialogue.AskstudentstolistentotheextractontheCDandnotedowntheiremotions.Theymaychoosetoimitatetheactorsontherecording,whichcanmaketheactivitymorefun. AllowthemtolistentotheCDasmanytimesastheywant,whiletheyrehearsetheirparts.
Team games
A 1. Putstudentsintoteamsoffour.2. PlayshortextractsfromtheCDandasktheteamstonotedownwhathadjusthappenedbeforetheextractandwhat
happenedimmediatelyafter.3. Awardpointsforgoodanswersintermsofcontent,buttrynottofocusonlanguageerrorstoomuch,asthiscanreduce
motivation.B 1. Putstudentsintoteams.2. Playaselectionofshortpiecesofdialogueandasktheteamstodecidewhichcharactersaideachpiece.C 1. Choosetheanswerstoquestionsfromasectionofdialogue,orfromvarioussectionsofdialogue.2. Givetheteamstheanswers,andaskthemtowritethequestions. 3. Playtheextracts.Awardpointsfortheclosestquestion.
G Preparing for exams
TheCDsthataccompanyMacmillan Readerscanalsobeusedtohelpprepareforexams,bothinternalandexternal.Usetherecordingsasyouwouldanyotherrecordingintheclassroom: prepareaworksheetwithagappedversionofthetextoragappedsummaryofthetext(similartotheclozeexercisesin
theFCEexam) ifyouareusingaplay,prepareawhosaidwhattypeofexercise preparesometrue/falsesentencesbasedontheinformationintheextractyouhavechosen usethePointsforUnderstanding,attheendofmanyoftheMacmillan Readers,ascomprehensionquestionsstudentsrefer
tothesewhiletheylistentothechapterontheCD.Ifyouusetherecordingsforexampreparationpriortousingthereader,thismayevenmotivatestudentstoreadthestoryinquestion.
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16 Using Films with Graded Readers
ManyofthetitlesintheMacmillan Readersserieshavebeenmadeintofilms,rangingfromclassicssuchasHitchcocksRebeccaandPolanskisTesstorecentfilmssuchasThe Perfect Storm,The Princess DiariesandPride and Prejudice.Sometitles,suchasRobin HoodandOliver Twisthavebeenmadeintofilmsmorethanonce.ThereisanoteonthebackcoveroftheReaderstellingyouiftherearefilmsavailable.Itstruethatfilmsare,obviously,ungradedintermsoflanguage,whichcancausefrustration,especiallywithlowerlevels.HowevertherearestillactivitiesthatyoucantrywhichcombinewellwithusingReaders,andprovideadifferentdynamic.Somehavealreadybeenmentionedpreviously,buthereareafewmoreideas:Whos who? (while- or post-reading)
A 1. WhenstudentshavebecomefamiliarwiththecharactersintheReader,chooseaclipfromthecorrespondingfilmwithmanyofthecharactersinitfiveminutesisenough. 2. ShowstudentstheclipwiththesoundturnedOFF. 3. Askstudentstoguesswhoiswhoanddiscusstheirreasons. 4. Askthemtodiscusswhetherthereareanycharacterswhoarequitedifferentfromthebookandanycharactersintheclipwhodonotappearinthebook.
B 1. Ifthecastincludesseveralwell-knownactors,givethestudentstheactorsnames.Stickphotosoftheactorsontheboard,ifyouhavethem.
2. Askstudentstoguesswhichcharactertheyplay,andgivereasons.Addtheirreasonstotheboard. 3. Showtheclassaclipfromthefilmwhichincludestheactorsnamedandchecktheiranswers. Possiblefilmsforthisactivityare:A Midsummer Nights DreamwithKevinKline,MichellePfeiffer,RupertEverett,CalistaFlockartandSamRockwell;The Perfect StormwithGeorgeClooney,DianeLaneandMarkWahlberg;orThe Man in the Iron Mask withLeonardodiCaprio,GrardDepardieu,JohnMalkovich,JeremyIronsandGabrielByrne.
C IfstudentshavereadavarietyofReaders,givethemthenamesofoneactororactressineachoftheReadersandaskthemtoguesswhichactorwasinwhichfilm,andgivetheirreasons.Forexample,atIntermediatelevel:
Spot the dif ference (while- or post-reading)
Showstudentsthefirstfive-tenminutesofafilm,andaskthemtoidentifydifferenceswiththebook,eginThePrincess Diaries,the
storyissetinNewYorkinthebook,andSanFranciscointhefilm.
Keanu Reeves Sean Connery Robert Redford Ewan McGregor
1.Ithink.................................isinDr Nobecause....................................................................................................2.Ithink.................................isinThe Great Gatsbybecause................................................................................3.Ithink...................................isinDraculabecause................................................................................................4.Ithink..................................isinEmmabecause...................................................................................................
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What are they saying? (while- or post-reading)
1. Chooseascenewithdialogueandenoughvisualcluestobeabletoguessatthecontentoftheconversation.Ascenewhichisfamiliartoyourstudentsfromachaptertheyhavealreadyreadisideal. 2. Showstudentsthescene,withthesoundoff. 3. Askthemtotrytowritethedialogue,ortellyouwhattheythinkthecharactersaretalkingabout. 4. Trygettingstudentstoprovideavoiceoverasyouplaythesceneagain,withthesoundoff.
5. Playthescenewiththesoundonforstudentstocomparetheirversions;usingsubtitlesinEnglishisrecommendedforlowerlevels.
Variation:Givestudentsonecharacterspartofthedialogue,andaskthemtoimaginetheotherpartorparts.Play-acting (post-reading)
IfstudentshavechosentoactoutpartoftheClassReader,andthereisafilmavailable,theymaybeinterestedtowatchpartofthefilmtogivethemideasforbodylanguage,intonationetc.Projects (post-reading)
IfyouoryourstudentshavedecidedtodoaprojectbasedontheirClassReader,titleswhichhavefilmsareagoodoption.Askstudentstothinkaboutthebiographiesofthedirectorandthemainactors,thinkaboutdifferencesbetweenthebookandthefilmsuchasitssettingandthedate.Havethemreviewsomeofthecharacters.Forexample,The Princess DiariesbyMegCabot(ElementaryandPre-Intermediatelevels): lookatthedirectorsbiographyandfilmography(GaryMarshallisalsoresponsibleforPretty Woman) lookatJulieAndrewsbiography(The Sound of Music, Victor Victoria, Mary Poppins, 10; married toMr Pink Panther) thebookissetinNewYorkfindinformationaboutNewYork thefilmissetinSanFranciscofindinformationaboutSanFrancisco writeanimaginaryencyclopaediaentryforGenovia useMacmillanauthorssheetavailableatwww.macmillanenglish.com/readers
rewritesomeoftheeventsfromthepointofviewofLilly,Michael,Clarisseetc findouthowthecastforthefilmwaschosen.Also,
many
of
the
activities
suggested
for
using
the
CDs
can
be
modified
for
using
video
clips
or
occasionally
the
whole
film.
An
exampleofthisistheactivitySettingthescene(page29),whichcanbeusedpre-orwhile-reading.
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Using Graded Readers in the Classroom
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17 Using the Internet with Graded Readers
AnykindofgroupprojectworkisagoodwayofconsolidatingyourstudentsprogressaftercompletingaReader,andtheInternetistheidealtooltohelpthem.Forexample,iftheclasshasreadThe Perfect StormbySebastianJunger(Intermediatelevel),theycouldthenusetheInternettoresearch,forinstance,thefilm,anyon-locationanecdotesfromthefilming,theauthorsbiography,mini-biographiesofthemainstars,thetruthbehindtheweatherconditionsdepicted,anytruecasesofsimilarevents,thesetting(Newfoundland)etc.Studentscanbeencouragedtoproducevisualstoillustratetheirwork.IftheclasshasreadPride and PrejudicebyJaneAusten(alsoIntermediatelevel),theycouldresearchthefashionsoftheperiod,socialcustoms,thefilmingofthebook,thelifeoftheauthororwhatlifewaslikeforwomeninGreatBritainatthattime.Theycouldalsobeaskedtoupdatepartofthestoryandconsiderwhichaspectstheywouldhavetochange.Forfurtherideasfordynamicprojects,visitwww.macmillanenglish.com/readers,whereyouwillfindawiderangeofideas,suchasinventinganddescribingavillainorbaddyforaJamesBondbook,orcreatingaFindthePerfectPartner!webpagerelatedtotheromanticReaders,plusphotocopiableworksheetsandteachersnotes.
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AguidetoMacmillanresources
ReadersLevel Councilof CambridgeESOL Coursebooks ExamResources Dictionaries EuropeLevel ExaminationStarter/Beginner A1 New Inside Out Beginner
Inside Out Beginner Straightforward Beginner Reward Starter Inspiration 1
Elementary A2 KET New Inside Out Elementary KET Testbuilder (ALTE Level 1) Key English Test Inside Out Elementary ElementaryLanguage Practice
Straightforward Elementary Move Elementary Reward Elementary Inspiration 2
Pre-intermediate B1 PET New Inside Out Pre-intermediate Macmillan Essential Dictionary
Preliminary English Test Inside Out Pre-intermediate
Straightforward Pre-intermediate
Inspiration 3
Intermediate B1-B2 PRE FCE Inside Out Intermediate Macmillan Essential Dictionary
(ALTE Level 2-3) First Certificate Straightforward Intermediate Macmillan Phrasal Verbs Plus in English Move Intermediate Reward Intermediate Inspiration 4
Upper Intermediate B2 FCE Inside Out Upper Intermediate Macmillan Essential Dictionary
(ALTE Level 3) First Certificate Straightforward Upper Intermediate Macmillan English Dictionary in English Move Upper Intermediate Macmillan Phrasal Verbs Plus Reward Upper Intermediate Inspiration 4
NEWfor2008!
Vocabulary Practice Series
Rising Star IntermediateRising Star Pre-FCELaser B1Laser B1+
InsideOut
Pre-Intermediate
Students Book
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