Learn to Read, Read to Learn (Learning foundation)

Reading is a fundamental skill that affords an individual access to a wealth of information. In our Reading and Speaking course, we develop this skill so that our students are able to further gain their own knowledge by themselves. Our native English teachers closely monitor pronunciation, intonation and fluency and correct it where necessary. We place particular focus on comprehension so that our students are not only able to read a text, but also engage with it meaningfully. We achieve this by facilitating independent thinking and group discussions where the sharing of ideas and knowledge is encouraged and praised.

Vocabulary Acquisition

Learning new vocabulary is crucial to both reading and speaking confidence and overall comprehension of a topic. It allows young students to better familiarize themselves with a text and expand on their understanding of the subject matter.

A foundational component of our Reading and Speaking course is the teaching of new vocabulary. Our curriculum is arranged in monthly themes which affords our students ample opportunity to meaningfully engage with the content and develop their vocabulary.

In the first lesson of the month, after completing a reading piece, we require our students to identify words with which they are unfamiliar with and assist them by providing the definitions. We also ensure we teach their practical application and have our students include them in their own sentence writing. A number of activities ensue where these words are tested and reinforced. Our students are repeatedly exposed to these words in the following lessons in written activities and must complete a spelling test on them in the final class of the unit.

Reading comprehension exercises

Reading: Students take turns to read a theme-related piece. They are closely monitored and assisted to ensure correct pronunciation of diction, intonation and fluency. Throughout, our teachers target concept-check questions at our students to ensure proper comprehension.

Discussion: Each reading piece is followed by a series of content-related questions. These review comprehension and are used to stimulate class discussions. Students are encouraged to share their ideas and express themselves in full sentences.

Vocabulary words: Using the reading piece, each student is required to identify unfamiliar words. Our teachers provide comprehensive and level-appropriate definitions for these words and ensure our students have a solid understanding before moving on. Our students are then encouraged to use these words when forming their own sentences. This method ensures their vocabulary is constantly enriched and always expanding.

Application: In the activities that follow, our students are required to apply their knowledge to the new vocabulary. Their workbooks contain a number of application questions where they are expected to use the words in contextual sentences. This reinforces their understanding of the words.

Language Focus: Each unit has its own language focus - a practical part of speech our students are taught. Clear formulations of the language focus are presented in their workbooks and are supplemented by a practice activity. Our teachers ensure the language focus is reflected during the lessons and work at helping our students develop their spoken English naturally.

Comprehension questions: All students are required to complete written responses questions relating to the monthly topic. This provides them with the opportunity to integrate their new vocabulary and demonstrate their comprehension of the content. Students are encouraged to work independently but our teachers provide assistance where necessary.