Supporting mixed ability learners at Cambridge English: Key for Schools and Preliminary for Schools levels: reading/writing skills

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1 Supporting mixed ability learners at Cambridge English: Key for Schools and Preliminary for Schools levels: reading/writing skills

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3 Participants task 1: Exploring the Arctic Look at this text on exploring the Arctic which comes from a Cambridge English: Preliminary Reading test. How could you divide this text to cater for higher and lower level learners? AND PRELIMINARY FOR SCHOOLS LEVELS READING/WRITING SKILLS 3

4 Participants task 2: The longest sentence (classroom activity) Timing 5+ minutes Aim to encourage students to expand their ideas Procedure 1. Write the base sentence on the board, for example: I saw a boy on a bike. 2. Ask the students to add a word or phrase to expand the idea: Yesterday, I saw a boy on a bike. (The new word is underlined.) 3. Continue until the students run out of ideas: Yesterday afternoon, I saw a small boy called John riding in the park on a beautiful, new, red bike. 4. Give the students a new base sentence. Set a time limit (e.g. two minutes) and have the students work in small groups. See which group can write the longest sentence. Follow up Students can use this sentence as part of a story. Variation If you are working with a large group, split the group into two or three small groups and have each one write their sentence on the board so it s easier to compare ideas. 4 AND PRELIMINARY FOR SCHOOLS LEVELS READING/WRITING SKILLS

5 Classroom activity: Group story Timing 20+ minutes Materials worksheet: Group story Aim To encourage learners to use linkers and sequencers to make their written work more coherent and cohesive. Procedure 1. Give out a copy of the worksheet: Group story to pairs of students. 2. Each pair completes the first sentence. The teacher goes round and helps. 3. The students pass the piece of paper to the pair sitting on their right. They then complete the second sentence on the paper they now have, reading the previous sentence so it all makes sense. The procedure is repeated until the story is finished. 4. Stick up the stories around the classroom. Students stand up and read them, and vote on which is the best/funniest/silliest, etc. 5. Write up some errors from the stories on the board and correct them with the class. AND PRELIMINARY FOR SCHOOLS LEVELS READING/WRITING SKILLS 5

6 Worksheet: Group story A) Last weekend, Thomas decided to take the bus and go to the town centre B) because. C) But when he. D) So he decided to E) because F) But he didn t know that... G) So.. H) Then.. I) After that,.. J) Finally, 6 AND PRELIMINARY FOR SCHOOLS LEVELS READING/WRITING SKILLS

7 Participants task 3: How to make changes for differentiation There are different kinds of strategies that we can use for stronger learners and for weaker learners. Read through the changes and decide which strategies you d use for the stronger group and which for the weaker. Possible strategies for dealing with activities List 1 Give these learners a more complex text or a more difficult section of reading text. Give learners a different, more difficult task to do on a reading text. Provide post-reading activities for those who have completed the reading task. Give these learners less time to complete a writing task. Encourage these learners to help others in the class. List 2 Give these learners a simpler or shorter reading text. Replace the task with a different, easier task on the same text. Reduce the number of questions on a reading text. Give these learners more time to complete a writing task. Pair them with a student who can help them. AND PRELIMINARY FOR SCHOOLS LEVELS READING/WRITING SKILLS 7

8 Handout: Adapting a reading task 8 AND PRELIMINARY FOR SCHOOLS LEVELS READING/WRITING SKILLS