Lots of practical ideas for exploiting reading texts - for a full, voiced over presentation, go to www.elt-training.com

1. elt-training webinars
Jo Gakonga
elt-training.com
jo.gakonga@elt-training.com

2. Exploiting Material
Or Dig, dig, dig!

3. When I started teaching….

4. Is this your security blanket?

5. As my career has progressed….

6. So what changed?

7. I learnt to exploit my material

8. Why is this a good idea?
For learners:
• A more even pace?
• More focus on language –
vocabulary, grammar, discourse, ‘chunks’
• More chance for them to notice language
• More chance for recycling – better for memory

9. Why is this a good idea?
For teachers:
• Less material!
• (With practice!), less stress
• Easier to produce a coherent, connected lesson
• Fewer photocopies – save the trees!

10. Let’s look at an example…
From: Natural English Intermediate by Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman

11. Start with the picture..

12. Think about the people:
• Describing them, appearance and personality
He’s … He looks like (a) (n)…. She looks (adj) and vocabulary
• Their life…present tense for habits, past tenses for their
history, achievements, etc.
• Speculating on their life/ relationship (They could/ might be..)
• Write 4 sentences – 2 true and 2 false about the picture…

13. Think about the text:
• Predict what it will be about – easier with a title.
• They write some comprehension questions –
note that they may or may not be able to answer them from
the text – this is fine!

14. Let’s look at the text.
Andrew and Rowena got married a year ago and are expecting a baby this
year. Rowena has a well paid job as an accountant working in London (an
hour away by train). Andrew has been working as an engineer in the aviation
industry but his company is closing down and there are no other similar jobs
in the area. They’d like to stay in the same village, as the rest of Andrew’s
family are close by. They have to make a difficult decision. These are the
ideas they have discussed so far.

15. Dictation
Bad reputation?

16. Dictation
Who can do it?
Teacher to students Student to student

17. Dictation
What’s it good for?
Teacher to students Student to student
Listening!
Raising awareness
Spelling and writing

18. Dictation
What’s it good for?
Teacher to students Student to student
Listening! Listening
Raising awareness Raising awareness
Spelling and writing Spelling and writing
Pronunciation

19. Student to student dictation
Running dictation

20. Student to student dictation
Strips on walls

21. Student to student dictation
Alternate lines
Student A Student B

22. How about a dictogloss?
How is this different?

23. How about a dictogloss?
How is this different?
• Usually some are given

24. How about a dictogloss?
How is this different?
• Read at normal speed – they listen

25. How about a dictogloss?
How is this different?
• Read again at normal speed – they take notes

26. How about a dictogloss?
How is this different?
• They recreate the text as closely as they can to
the original in pairs.
(doesn’t matter if it’s not the same as long as the meaning
is the same and the language is correct)

27. How about a dictogloss?
How is this different?
• They compare their own with the original to
see the differences.

28. So you could give them the first part and do the second part as a
dictogloss:
What words or phrases would you highlight before you read it out?
Choices:
1. Andrew enjoys photography very much and has thought about starting a local photographic
business. There isn’t much competition from other photographers nearby, but he’ll need to
borrow money from the bank to start up the business.
2. Rowena could go back to work after the baby is born and be the main breadwinner. Andrew
could stay at home and look after the baby.
3. Andrew could probably find a good job in the aviation industry but they’d have to move to a
different part of the country.
4. With his commercial experience, Andrew could retrain and go into business management.
There’s a one year course at his local college. If he does that, he’ll probably be on a low salary for
a year or two after training.

29. What words or phrases would you highlight before you read it
out?
Choices:
1. Andrew enjoys photography very much and has thought about starting a local
photographic business. There isn’t much competition from other photographers
nearby, but he’ll need to borrow money from the bank to start up the business.
2. Rowena could go back to work after the baby is born and be the main breadwinner.
Andrew could stay at home and look after the baby.
3. Andrew could probably find a good job in the aviation industry but they’d have to
move to a different part of the country.
4. With his commercial experience, Andrew could retrain and go into business
management. There’s a one year course at his local college. If he does that, he’ll
probably be on a low salary for a year or two after training.

30. Choose….
• Words or phrases that
...you think they won’t know… or…
…that you want them to learn

31. Jigsaw reading
Choices:
1. Andrew enjoys photography very much and has thought about starting a local photographic
business. There isn’t much competition from other photographers nearby, but he’ll need to
borrow money from the bank to start up the business.
2. Rowena could go back to work after the baby is born and be the main breadwinner. Andrew
could stay at home and look after the baby.
3. Andrew could probably find a good job in the aviation industry but they’d have to move to a
different part of the country.
4. With his commercial experience, Andrew could retrain and go into business management.
There’s a one year course at his local college. If he does that, he’ll probably be on a low salary for
a year or two after training.

32. Book exercises…..
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of
each solution.
• Decide in a group what is the best option.
• Listen to what Andrew and Rowena decided.
• Compare their answer to your group’s.

33. What else?
After the speaking exercise…..
You have a text….
…so use it!

34. Some examples… Analysing tense
Guided discovery…
Find an example of…
Something that is still true
Something that started in the past but may not continue in the future.
Something that started in the recent past and will probably continue.
Something that is happening now and is temporary.

35. Some examples… Analysing tense
Andrew and Rowena got married a year ago and are expecting a baby this
year. Rowena has a well paid job as an accountant working in London (an
hour away by train). Andrew has been working as an engineer in the aviation
industry but his company is closing down and there are no other similar jobs
in the area. They’d like to stay in the same village, as the rest of Andrew’s
family are close by. They have to make a difficult decision. These are the
ideas they have discussed so far.
Now
Past Future

36. Some examples… Articles
Andrew and Rowena got married ___year ago and are expecting ___baby this
year. Rowena has ___ well paid job as ___ accountant working in___ London
(___hour away by ___ train). Andrew has been working as ___ engineer in
___ aviation industry but his company is closing down and there are no other
___similar jobs in ___ area. They’d like to stay in ___ same village, as ___ rest
of Andrew’s family are close by. They have to make ___ difficult decision.
These are ___ideas they have discussed so far.

37. Some examples…prepositions
Choices:
1. Andrew enjoys photography very much and has thought _____starting a local photographic business.
There isn’t much competition ____ other photographers nearby, but he’ll need ___ borrow money
_____ the bank to start ____ the business.
2. Rowena could go back to work after the baby is born and be the main breadwinner. Andrew could
stay ____ home and look ______ the baby.
A bit of competition can help bring things like
this to life!

38. Some examples…mistakes
Andrew could probably find a good job in the industry aviation.
But they have to move to a different part of the country.
With his commercial expereince, Andrew could retrain and going
into business management. There’s one year course at his local
college. If he will do that, he’ll probably be with a low salary for
a year or two after training.

39. Other possibilities…
• Guessing meaning in context
• Noticing and learning collocations and language
chunks (They are e---- a b---)
• Looking at conjunctions
• Phrasal verbs
• ………

40. A word of caution…
Don’t overdo it!