Michael Morland,

Text 1

II. Read the texts about reading skills and do the assignments that follow.

I. In pairs or small groups, discuss the following questions.

In order to learn to write a summary you should do all the activities.

I. Fill in the blanks below using these phrases and a suitable form of the verbs in the brackets. The first one has been done as an example.

needed to should / ought to have didn’t need to

shouldn’t / oughtn’t to have needn’t have

1. I shouldn’t have taken so much time worrying about the test, because in the end it was really easy and I passed first time.

2. I ___________ (to take) books out on long loan because I found all the information on-line.

3. The supervisor told the pre-service students that they ______________ (to enhance) the pupils intrinsic motivation, as it was especially important for encouraging the learners’ success.

4. Haven’t you submitted your course paper yet? You _________ (to do) it last Friday.

5. I ______________ (to turn up) for the most of lectures and seminars, but I didn’t and, as a result, I failed the course.

6. The supervisor explained to the pre-service teacher that he had placed many learners at a marked disadvantage but he __________ (to do) it, because in this way he discouraged their participation in the classroom activities.

7. You ____________ (to follow) conventions because we wanted to hear inspirational and open-minded attitudes.

Ø WRITING A SUMMARY

Reading between the lines

1. What kinds of books do you like to read? Why?

2. What kinds of books do you detest reading? Why?

3. What are the ingredients of a 'best seller'?

4. How difficult do you think it would be to write a 'best seller'?

5. Describe the reading habits of most people in your country.

The notion that reading is one of the most important keys to educational success is agreed by all: newspaper critics, devoted teachers and parents. But what is happening to standards? Employers are critical: "It is a great surprise and disappointment to us to find that our young employees are so hopelessly deficient in their command of English." Many may long for the golden days, but that quotation was from those days - 1921! The complaints of today are remarkably like those of the past.

The latest panic was prompted by a very limited study by a group of educational psychologists using a dubious test. No wonder it was castigated for intellectual sloppiness. Yet there are many detailed research studies that illuminate reading problems. Recently, it was shown that the more lead, aluminum or zinc in a child's body as tested by hair or saliva tests, the lower the reading scores. Did that get widely reported?

The same fears are repeated often: "But are they being taught to read?" The worries appear to be misdirected. Yes, there are serious doubts about whether the present curriculum is helping effective reading, but it is not the early stages that are weak. Nor is it, contrary to much printed panic, because of too little teaching of phonics. It is because we stop developing reading skills except in the teaching of literature. We are extraordinarily good at teaching fiction. Reading for learning is something different but equally important. This is how we grapple with ideas, arguments and the discourse of Higher Education.

(The Guardian)

Дата добавления: 2014-12-23