Reading and writing activities

Reading
1. Scanning Scanning involves moving your eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases. Scanning is also used when you first find a resource to determine whether it will answer your questions. Once you've scanned the document, you might go back and skim it. Timed reading resource books were used in these exercises.
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strict time limits necessary--best as whole-class activities competitions/games are effective most effective if personalize text and questions Examples: menus, phone number listings, name listings, ads, indexes, dictionaries, movie listings, etc.

can also scan for key words to build automaticity

2. Scanning This is an idea of speed reading aimed at increasing rates of reading without reducing comprehension. Main techniques include searching main ideas by reading the first and last paragraphs and also looking at other organizational clues in a text. Chunking and subvocalization is also used in skimming to increase retention Activating Background Knowledge Reading Skills 3. Previewing This skill involves quickly and effectively gaining knowledge about the type of material one is about to or will be reading. This can be done in class or in the library. The following are steps that learners take to preview: Reading the Title, Looking at any pictures, noticing if the text is divided into parts, reading the first sentence of each paragraph, reading the last paragraph, and noticing names, numbers, dates and words that stand out.

o Different genres (newspaper articles, textbook articles, novels, etc.) 4. Predicting o analyzing pictures, TOC, chapter outline, title o strip stories o semantic associations (PreP, Pre-reading preparatory instruction, 1. Key words for discussion & students make associations, 2. Ss tell reasons for associations, 3. Ask Ss for more associations) Developing Fluency Goals: build automaticity, build learner awareness that its not necessary to read or understand every word in order to understand overall meaning 5. Cloze exercises (understanding meaning in spite of missing words) a. passages with blanks and then comprehension questions for Ss to show that dont need to know all words 6. Rate building with rate builders a. Faster reading leads to greater comprehension (need at least 200 wpm) b. Reading in chunks is key c. Rate Builder books d. Texts must be at appropriate level (understandable, use a placement test or cloze test) e. Make rate buliding a whole-class activity f. Take a base rate and chart progress g. Students set goals h. Record progress with charts (include comments if possible/appropriate) i. Steps: i. Student previews and reads passage. records time ii. Comprehension check questions iii. Records results iv. checks missing answers v. re-reads passage until classmates are finished vi. repeat in same class or at least 2-3 times a week

Rate building with re-reading

7. Charades 8. reading comprehension task 9. paraphrasing 10. Sequencing 11. extensive reading (reading for pleasure) 12. collaborative reading People read the same idea but different reading passages and then they share what they have read to the group and they build understanding upon the topic based on the discussion. 13. journaling 14. Activities to encourage/reinforce fast vocabulary recall (flashcards, building associations, tictac-toe, and hot seat game: divide SS into 2 teams, each team chooses a representative and the representatives sit on chairs facing the class. T writes a vocab word on the board and team members need to explain to their representative this word. Who guesses the first that team gets a point. Representatives rotate so that every member in a team can have a chance to guess. Playing background music wont allow the other team to hear your explanations)

Writing activities 1. Collaborative writing activity The class was first divided into groups and the assigned with tasks. The group members work towards a common goal assigned to their group. In this activity we used piratepad.net to carry out the activity. The following link is the product of our collaborative effort http://piratepad.net/7jn4ior30N 2. Graphic organizers activity This is an activity that helps learners to classify ideas and communicate more effectively. Organizers are usually used to structure writing projects, to help in problem solving, decision making, studying, planning research and brainstorming. The following is a link to a website with graphic organizers resources. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/

3. Loop-writing Activity is about creativity and control, where writers are a broad and narrow subject at hand, students are instructed to keep the topic in mind as they free-write. When their writing goes off track, they are encouraged to continue writing whats on their mind until they return to focus topic. After free writing session, students read their text and summarize them in a single sentence (Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005). 4. brainstorming ideas 5. collaborate writing (students collaboratively complete a story writing) 6. peer review and correctness 7. peer editing 8. Chain writing 9. Blogging 10. Journal writing 11. Free writing 12. Cubing 13. Storytelling 14. comic strips The beginning of a story and ask SS to finish it, compare with other endings and vote for the best one. Have SS listen to a story and then retell in writing/summarize (check comprehension and grammar) Writing Exercises/ Games 15. Zebra Relay Race a. For both lower and higher level learners b. Have a pre-made set of vocabulary words that the students have studied c. Put students into groups of 3 to work as a team. d. Explain the rules of the game to the students: i. a word will be written on the board (rat for example)

ii. Each group will have a section on the board to write a complete sentence. Students must use the letters of the vocabulary word as the beginning of each word in the sentence. iii. For example, rat = Ron ate tacos. e. The first team to shout out done means everyone must stop. f. As a class, compare the grammar/syntax of the sentence. If it makes sense, that team earns one point. If it is wrong, point out that there is an error and let each team continue to write their sentences. g. Students erase their sentences. As soon as you write the next word on the board, the students can begin round two. Bottom up processing 16. Perceptual Skills: Recognizing letters and words- The most important thing in decoding English is processing the sound-symbol correspondence of English phonemes. a. Visual discrimination practice: Students need to find out the key letter or key word in a list of letters or words within a time limitation. b. Word search puzzles. c. Reading a passage with the letters cut in half. 17. Automatic de-coding a. frequency lists b. word finds c. spelling gap exercises d. grammar--cloze exercises to show how grammar affects meaning/comprehension (Peanut Butter Sandwich example) e. punctuation--remove all punctuation and have students insert, to show how punctuation affects reading/meaning f. phonology--organize by phonemes g. Load a frequency list into spreeder.com. Have students read the words aloud as they appear. Increase the speed and have students rehearse silently.

18. Lexical items that signal textual cohesion a. pronouns b. synonyms c. hyponyms d. summary words e. transition/signal words