Henry & Lucy Teacher's Guide - Book - Page 9
number is given in the pupils’ book. The opening chant engages pupils’ interest and
prepares them for the topic of the lesson; the closing chant summarizes what has
happened in the lesson or gives clues to what will happen next.
The rhythmic nature of the chants and songs lend themselves to choral repetitions that
can be accompanied by movements and gestures.
ii.
Read
A variety of text types are provided in the book, e.g. comic strips, fables, stories, maps,
ads, recipes, letters, diary entries, instructions, etc., always relating to the storyline.
The following techniques are recommended for dealing with the texts:
• Scanning requires pupils to identify specific information from within the text such
as rhyming words, punctuation marks, capitalized words, or topic-related words
(e.g. colors, numbers, names). It is important to train pupils to read silently, and to
routinely provide classroom time for this activity. A focus on rhyming words enables
the teaching of different spelling patterns and reinforcement of phonemic awareness.
• Providing a purpose for reading. Posing questions to the learners before reading the
text enables them to find meaning in the text. Pupils are given guiding questions to
facilitate reading. Texts have been recorded on CD to enable less advanced pupils to
listen and read repeatedly.
• Comprehension questions and discussions follow the readings.
• Struggling Readers: All texts have been recorded on CD to enable less advanced pupils
and those struggling with reading to read the texts while listening to them repeatedly
in class and at home.
iii.
Listen
A variety of oral text types including dialogues, interviews, instructions, conversations
and directions have been recorded for pupils to listen to in class for the purpose of
developing listening comprehension skills such as: understanding general meaning,
understanding details, locating relevant information, following the sequence of events,
following directions, following instructions and understanding descriptions. All these
reinforce new language items within the context of the storyline.
The following techniques are used:
• A purpose for listening is provided.
• The text is played several times as learners listen for information and complete the
tasks.
• Oral and written comprehension tasks follow the listening texts.
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