In this module
Cambridge Veritas · Original TESOL self-study resources
Module overview
Reading instruction connects a purpose with a way of approaching a text. A learner looking for an opening time need not read like someone evaluating an argument. Plan tasks that guide attention, reveal how meaning was established and allow a response to the content. Support essential obstacles without explaining the whole text in advance. Encourage learners to return to evidence rather than treat comprehension as remembering disconnected answers.
Use the guides below to connect the core ideas with practical teaching decisions. Each guide contains a classroom example, an application task and a sample response. Work through the whole module, or choose a topic for a lesson you are preparing.
Explore the topics
Reading purpose and strategy choice
Readers vary how they read according to their purpose. A timetable, story and set of instructions do not demand identical attention. Help learners identify what they need from the text before asking them to read.
Read the guide & try the taskSkimming and reading for gist
Skimming seeks the main idea, organisation or purpose without resolving every unfamiliar word. Give a short, realistic task and enough time to identify the message. Fast reading without a question is not automatically purposeful skimming.
Read the guide & try the taskScanning for specific information
Scanning locates a particular item such as a name, price or date. The reader knows what to look for and may use visual organisation. Do not require a complete oral reading before a task that only needs a few details.
Read the guide & try the taskTop-down knowledge and bottom-up reading
Readers use knowledge of topics, text conventions, vocabulary and sentence structure together. Background knowledge can support a hypothesis, but the wording must support the interpretation. Teach learners to cite a clue and revise an initial guess.
Read the guide & try the taskStaging a reading lesson
Generate interest, establish a purpose, move from an achievable overall task to more detailed reading, and finish with a response. Pre-teach only vocabulary essential to the first task. Excessive preparation can remove the need to read.
Read the guide & try the taskAuthentic texts, extensive reading and dictionaries
An authentic text was created for communication outside a language exercise. Suitability depends on topic, language load and task. Extensive reading encourages sustained accessible reading; dictionary use should support the purpose rather than interrupt every sentence.
Read the guide & try the taskPutting the module into practice
- 01
Establish why someone would read the text and provide only the context essential to begin.
- 02
Set an overall reading task, then compare interpretations with reference to textual clues.
- 03
Ask for specific information or closer interpretation and investigate the source of any difficulty.
- 04
Use the text in a discussion, decision or piece of writing, checking that the response reflects what was read.
Support and extension
Shorten the response demand, provide headings or a small glossary, and model how to locate a useful clue.
Compare interpretations, evaluate an argument or adapt the information for a new audience.
Check your understanding
Plan a teaching task
Choose one guide from this module. Use its classroom scenario or adapt the task for a group you know.
- Learners and purpose: Describe the context and what learners need to do.
- Success criterion: State one observable outcome.
- Procedure: Plan the setup, model, learner task and feedback.
- Support and extension: Include a way into the task and an extra challenge.
- Evidence and reflection: Decide what to observe and what would make you change the plan.
Module questions
Where should I begin with this module?
Establish why someone would read the text and provide only the context essential to begin.
How can I make the work accessible?
Shorten the response demand, provide headings or a small glossary, and model how to locate a useful clue.
How can I go beyond the first attempt?
Compare interpretations, evaluate an argument or adapt the information for a new audience.
Sources and authorship
This module maps to the supplied syllabus PDF, Focus on reading skills (5 pages). The study notes, examples, application tasks and self-checks on these pages are original Cambridge Veritas resources.
View the supplied PDF ↗ · Publication reference: source chapter
Written by Cambridge Veritas. Updated .
Use these resources for preparation and reflection. Browser self-check results are for personal study and do not award a qualification or replace observed teaching practice.