Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Reading and Text Comprehension

Assumptions: This Active Lesson Plan assumes: a 100-minute class, prior student study with both the Book and the start of Project development, and that only one activity (among the three suggested) will be chosen to be conducted during the class, as each activity is designed to take up a significant portion of the available time.

Objectives

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The Objectives stage is crucial for establishing a clear foundation of what is expected to be achieved during the class. By defining specific objectives, students can better direct their focus and efforts, ensuring that learning is more effective and goal-oriented. This section helps align the expectations of both parties, teacher and students, and serves as a guide for subsequent activities.

Main Objectives:

1. Develop students' ability to recognize and interpret information in English texts.

2. Enable students to formulate accurate and appropriate responses based on the interpretation made.

Side Objectives:

1. Encourage active participation from students in group discussions and practical activities.

Introduction

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The Introduction serves to engage students and prepare them for the practical activities that will follow. The problem situations encourage students to apply their previous knowledge in scenarios that simulate real challenges, preparing them to think critically about reading and interpreting texts. Contextualization helps to show the relevance of the topic in the real world, increasing students' interest and motivation.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Imagine you are participating in a quiz competition in English. The host reads an excerpt from a classic book and asks you to identify the main theme. How would you approach the question?

2. Think of a scenario where you are reading the instructions for a scientific experiment in English. There is a key word that was not translated in the glossary. How would you use the context to try to understand the meaning of the word and continue with the experiment?

Contextualization

The ability to read and understand texts in English is essential not only in academic contexts but also in everyday life, especially in a globalized world. Whether it is to understand product manuals, contracts, or interact on social media, reading competence is fundamental. Moreover, literature in English offers a rich source of knowledge and entertainment. For example, many popular movies and series have their roots in literary texts that, if not understood, can limit the appreciation and understanding of audiovisual works.

Development

Duration: (70 - 75 minutes)

The Development stage is designed to allow students to practically and interactively apply the reading and interpretation skills in English that they have studied previously. Through playful and collaborative activities, students are challenged to think critically, work as a team, and present their conclusions, thus consolidating the learning. This approach aims to maximize knowledge retention and the development of essential competencies.

Activity Suggestions

It is recommended to carry out only one of the suggested activities

Activity 1 - Mystery at the Museum

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Develop skills in critical reading and text interpretation in English, as well as promote teamwork and public presentation ability.

- Description: Students will be divided into groups of up to 5 people and will receive a sealed envelope containing a story of a theft in a museum. The story will be written in English, and parts of the text will be missing. Students must use their reading and interpretation skills to fill in the gaps, discover who the thief is, and which artifact was stolen.

- Instructions:

• Form groups of up to 5 people.

• Carefully read the text in the envelope, which is in English.

• Identify and discuss the key words in the text.

• Use tools like dictionaries and glossaries to assist in comprehension.

• Fill in the gaps in the text with the correct words, based on context.

• Prepare a presentation for the class explaining your conclusions and how you arrived at them.

Activity 2 - Home Cinema

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Enhance the ability to read and interpret texts in English, as well as develop creative and presentation skills.

- Description: Each group receives the synopsis of a movie in English, with key elements omitted. The students must fill in the gaps based on their reading and interpretation skills and then create a trailer for the movie that best represents the complete story.

- Instructions:

• Divide into groups of up to 5 members.

• Read the synopsis of the movie, which will be in English.

• Discuss the plot and the possible words that would fill in the gaps.

• Use digital resources, if possible, to create the movie trailer.

• Present the trailer to the class and explain your word choices for filling in the gaps.

Activity 3 - Linguistic Detectives Challenge

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Promote active reading and interpretation of texts in English, as well as develop logical reasoning and teamwork skills.

- Description: Students, organized into groups, will receive a series of clues and riddles in English that, when deciphered, will lead to the solution of a mystery. Each clue contains elements that must be interpreted and connected to solve the final challenge.

- Instructions:

• Form groups of up to 5 people.

• Read and discuss the clues in English to understand the content.

• Use reading strategies to correctly interpret the clues.

• Record your answers and the reasoning behind them.

• Present your solutions to the class and justify your choices.

Feedback

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The aim of this stage is to allow students to articulate and reflect on the reading and interpretation process they underwent, consolidating learning. The group discussion helps identify different approaches and reading strategies used by students, fostering a collaborative and reflective learning environment.

Group Discussion

Start the group discussion by inviting each group to share the conclusions they reached during the activities. Ask them to discuss the challenges they encountered and how they overcame them, focusing on the use of reading and interpretation strategies. Encourage students to explain the reasoning behind the decisions made and how the information from the texts helped in building their responses.

Key Questions

1. What were the key words that helped your group in interpreting the text?

2. How did the context of the text aid in understanding the words that were missing?

3. Was there any specific reading strategy that your group found particularly useful during the activity?

Conclusion

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The purpose of the Conclusion is to consolidate learning, ensuring that students have a clear understanding of the concepts discussed and the skills practiced. Moreover, it aims to reinforce the importance and applicability of reading and interpreting texts in English, preparing students to use these skills in real and future situations. This stage also serves to assess the overall understanding of the students and to ensure that the learning objectives have been achieved.

Summary

In conclusion, let’s recap the main points discussed today. The class began with a discussion about the importance of reading and interpreting texts in English, followed by practical activities that challenged students to apply these skills. The groups participated in three different scenarios, each designed to stimulate active interpretation and teamwork. This included solving a mystery at the museum, creating a movie trailer based on a missing synopsis, and deciphering riddles to solve a linguistic detectives challenge.

Theory Connection

Today’s lesson was carefully planned to connect theory with practice in a meaningful way. Students were able to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired about reading and interpreting texts in English in practical situations that simulate real challenges. This approach not only reinforces learning but also prepares students to face reading situations in their daily lives and in more formal contexts, such as tests and exams.

Closing

Finally, it is important to highlight that reading and interpretation skills are fundamental not only for academic success but also for everyday life. The ability to understand and analyze texts in English allows students to be more effective in communication and problem-solving, essential skills in an increasingly connected and globalized world.