Idea — Inference is the ability to understand what a text implies but does not state. It draws on word choice, tone, context, and cultural knowledge. It is a higher-order skill often assessed at B2…
Idea — Ordering tasks ask learners to arrange jumbled sentences or paragraphs into the original sequence. They train awareness of discourse: cohesive devices, logical flow, and topic development. Example — Five sentences from an argument…
Idea — Good multiple-choice reading items test comprehension, not test-taking strategy. Distractors should be plausible but clearly wrong when the text is understood. Avoid ‘all of the above’ and trick answers. Example — A strong…
Idea — True/False/Not Given tasks train learners to distinguish what the text says from what they believe. The third option — Not Given — is harder than it looks: absence of information is a linguistic…
Idea — A reading gist task asks one broad question the whole text answers. Its purpose is to give direction and prevent word-by-word decoding on a first pass. One question; first read; time limit. Example…
Idea — Pre-teach only vocabulary that blocks meaning and cannot be guessed from context. Teaching too many words steals time; teaching too few risks comprehension breakdown. Nation’s research suggests 98% coverage for fluent reading. Example…
Idea — Schema is the network of prior knowledge a reader or listener brings to a text. Activating it before a task reduces cognitive load and dramatically improves comprehension. Example — Before a listening on…
Idea — Prediction tasks ask learners to guess content before they read. This activates schema, gives reading a purpose, and creates a small tension — was I right? — that drives engagement. Example — Show…
Idea — Extensive reading means reading large amounts of easy, enjoyable material at the learner’s independent level. Quantity builds fluency, vocabulary breadth, and reading speed. The text should feel almost too easy. Example — A…
Idea — Intensive reading involves reading a short text closely, attending to grammar, vocabulary, discourse, and meaning. It builds language awareness. It is slow, deliberate, and teacher-guided. Example — A class reads one paragraph of…