DEALING WITH READING TEXTS: 5 CREATIVE WAYS

1. EXPAND THE TEXT
With short, simple texts get students to add an adjective in front of every noun / an adverb to every verb etc. For slightly longer texts – before class write (10) extra clauses or sentences that can be inserted into the text. Write these up in jumbled order on the board and get students to add them in the most appropriate places.
2. REDUCE THE TEXT
Get students to reduce the text to EXACTLY (100) words OR reduce the total number of sentences by (50%).
3. RECONSTRUCT THE TEXT
Before class, write a list of key words from the text in jumbled order on a sheet of paper. Make one copy for each group of students. In class, give out the text to all the students. Get them to read it through. Now ask them to turn over the text. Hand out the jumbled keywords. Ask students to put the keywords back into the correct order WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE TEXT. When they get stuck, allow them to reread to the text (but first get them to cover up the jumbled words again.) When all the students have got the words in the correct order, take the text away. Get students to reconstruct the text (orally or in writing) from the key words.
4. DEDUCTION
Copy the text onto a piece of A4 paper. Tear off a column down the left hand side of the copy and a similar sized column off the right hand side. Photocopy and hand out the remaining “middle” part of the story. Students must work together to deduce the whole story from the bits they have. Hand out the original story for comparison at the end.
5. TEXT QUIZ
Hand out the chosen text to the class. Give them time to read it, check new words etc. Now get the students in groups to prepare (15) questions about the text which another group will have to answer from memory. Questions should be factual. When the groups are ready, cover up all copies of the text, and then get groups to swap their question sheets and answer each other’s questions. The group that answers the most questions correctly wins.