Monster HouseCatwomanSmallvilleSpider-ManSupermanBilly ElliotBatmanBeginsPinkPantherUsing ScholasticELT ReadersScholastic Ltd Using Readers1INTRODUCTIONWHY USE READERS?Readersarewidelyacceptedasabeneficial languagelearningresource for students. As an introduction to this guide, here are afew of the many ways in which readers are an invaluable asset tothe language learning process.Flexibleresource: readers areaversatiletool for useintheclassroom and a source of independent studyCultural benefits: readers can introduce and expose learners todifferent elements of English-speaking cultures and expandgeneral knowledgeLearner autonomy: students can choose what they would like toread, promoting independent learningSchemata: learners will often choose a reader based on a subjectofwhichtheyhavepre-conceivedknowledge; theactivationofthis knowledge will benefit their learning processSkill development: readers promote extensive reading which inturn develops faster and more fluent readersLanguage awareness: readers increase exposure to gradedgrammar, vocabulary and spelling in an engaging contextFurther opportunities: ideas introduced in the text can bedeveloped further through writing, speaking and listeningactivities in addition to readingReading promotion: if students readandunderstandit willencourage them to read moreWHY USE SCHOLASTIC ELT READERS?Mary Glasgow and Scholastic have a 50-year history of producingyouth-focused learning materials. Our experience has shown thatforeign language students will acquire language more easily andnaturallyiftheyareinterestedinthecontent;themedium, thelanguage, becomes unimportant.The range of Scholastic ELT Readers includes motivating,contemporarytitlesadaptedfrompopular filmsandtelevisionprogrammes, such as Superman Returns, The Pink Panther, Buffythe Vampire Slayer and Malcolm in the Middle. In addition to theappealing subject matter, they also constitute a sound academicresourcebyfollowingacarefullygradedsyllabus. TheReadersare based on a pedagogical framework but also deal withcontemporary themes and issues that reflect the lives ofteenagers today.Initial market research revealed that the extent of a text was animportantfactorforteachers. ScholasticELTReadersreflectthepreference for books of a manageable length, ensuring learnersare not deterred or intimidated by extensive text. Feedback fromteachersunderlinedhowsignificant visualsweretoadolescentlearners, consequentlycolour photosareusedthroughout thetext and a strong emphasis is put on attractive design.Our Readers incorporate an important element of backgroundinformationviatheuniquemagazine-styleFactFiles. Interviewswiththecharacters, behind-the-scenesinsight intothefilm/TVprogramme, themedevelopment andcross-cultural referencesexpand content and are adaptable for class or independent use.The integrated Self-Study Activities allow the student to checkhis or her comprehension independently of the class and teacherat various intervals throughout the story. There are activities thatthe student can complete before, during and after reading eachtitle. Answers are in the Teacher Resource Sheets included in thisbooklet. The Resource Sheets present further ideas for exploitationof each Reader and specific extension tasks that complement theSelf-Study Activities.The majority of Scholastic ELT Readers have audio available toaccompany the text. The CD provides a full graded recording ofthestoryreadbyprofessional actorsataspeedappropriateforthe level of the text. Reading the text whilst listening to the audiohasbeenshowntoincreaseeye-readingspeed, andtheaudiocan be used for both extensive and intensive listening purposes.The original programmes andfilms are widely available andpresent a wealth of possibilities extending the range of the Reader.Suggestions for exploitation of the audio and screen versions aredetailed below.HOW OUR READERS WORKScholastic ELT Readers are divided into four levels of grading, andare compatible with the Mary Glasgow magazine levels (see below).The headwords which aid level definition are the words that astudent would be expected to recognise at that level. Words thatmight requireglossingarerecordedat thebackof theReaderwithspaceforstudentstoprovideL1definitions. Thesewordscan be used as the basis of vocabulary games and practice, andconsist of vocabulary specific to the reader that students at thatlevel would be unlikely to know. There are 15 at Starter Level, 20at Levels 1 & 2, and 25 at Level 3.Each Reader follows the same structure: firstly, the charactersand their relationships are introduced with photos and descriptions,followed by the story. Supplementary pages consisting of Fact Filesand integrated Self-Study Activities come after the story, providingopportunitiestotrackstudents progressandunderstanding. Atthe back of each book is the key words vocabulary list.Level Level Common European Magazine Headwords Story word countFramework levelStarter Beginner Pre-A1 CLICK 300 headwords Up to 1,500 wordsLevel 1 Elementary A1 CLICK/CROWN 600 headwords Up to 4,000 wordsLevel 2 Pre-Intermediate A2 CROWN/TEAM 1,000 headwords Up to 7,000 wordsLevel 3 Intermediate B1 TEAM 1,500 headwords Up to 10,000 wordsScholastic Ltd Using Readers2USING READERSCHOOSING A READERWhenchoosing a Reader motivationis a key factor. Surveysconducted around the world have indicated that adolescentlearners are motivated to read about popular culture.Whether reading individually or in a group, it is important thatlearners are encouraged to develop a personal response, whetherit be negative or positive, to enable them to engage with the textand make an clear decision on what book to read next.Choosing for a classWhen choosing for whole classes there are several ways toensure that everyone feels their preferences are considered.Dividing the class up and allowing one group at a time to choosea Reader is a tried and tested approach. Given that most titles willbefamiliar tothem, let theclass vote, or split theclass intogroupsallowingeachgroupaturntochoosetheclassreader.Alternatively, conduct an activity that involves students matchingtheblurbfromthebackoftheReaderstothetitles. Oncetheyhavecompletedatasklikethis, theywill befamiliar withthepossible stories to choose from.Choosing for reading ringsIf reading as a class is not possible or practical, another idea is toset up reading rings. Four or five students read the same text andthe context of the group provides opportunities for feedback andclarification. Many of the activity suggestions below can easily beadapted for reading rings.Choosing for individualsIt is important in terms of motivation that a student is allowed tochoosehisorherowntext, andthattheyareinterestedinthesubject matter. It is reassuring for students to know that they canselect another text if they are not enjoying their initial choice.IN CLASS ACTIVITIESChoosingappropriateactivitiesforstudentstocompleteduringthereadingprocessallowsstudentstoengagefurtherwiththestory and the characters, aiding comprehension and connectionwith the text. Below are some activity suggestions grouped intobeforereading, whilst readingandafter readingactivities, butmany of the ideas can be used and reused in other sections.In order to maximise the advantages of reading as a class it isimportant that the reading is structured and organised. Studentswill benefit from being accountable for their reading, being givena section to read and then giving feedback via class discussion orexercises. Thiswill consolidateknowledgeofthetext, andgivestudents the opportunity for clarification.Therewill belanguageitemsthatstudentswill beunsureofwhen they first approach the text.It is important that these areaddressed but not to the detriment of fluid reading. Ideallygradedreadersshouldnot bethefocusof intensivelanguagestudy, butratherforreadingenjoyment. However, studentswillcome across new vocabulary and aspects of language that can beconsolidated with exercises such as those in the self-studysection. These before and after reading activities includevocabulary discovery tasks and a variety of exercises designed tomakestudents accountablefor their readingandtoenhancetheir comprehension.BEFORE READINGA taster of the Reader before they start reading can engage andmotivate learners. As most Scholastic ELT Readers are based onfilms and television programmes that your students might know,it is likely that they will have some background knowledge of thestory and characters. This is a positive starting point; students willbe motivated if they can teach the teacher and their classmates.Aconfidence-buildingintroductiontoaReaderistoallowyourstudents to explore how much they know as a class already.Brainstorming on the board before opening the book willproduce vocabulary, character and place names, themes and ideasthat theyknowmaybeincludedinthereader. BrainstormingBuffytheVampireSlayermightproducethecharacters names(Buffy, Gilesetc.), thelocation(s)ofthestory(Sunnydale), andspecific vocabulary that your students are unlikely to have comeacross in textbooks (for example, vampire, demon).This could be an opportunity to introduce vocabulary from theNewWords listatthebackofthebook. Youmaywanttousebilingual dictionaries to translate the words, or elicit meanings inL2, depending on the level of your students. If you feel the NewWords list is too extensive for learners to absorb at once, studentscan use the Self-Study Activities where all newwords are pre-taughtas and when they appear in the text.Guess the story: show the cover and elicit vocabulary and ideas.In groups students write the plot outline. These can then be keptfor after reading the story and students can compare which onewas the closest to the plot.Character introduction: introduce the characters using pages 4and 5 of the Readers and ask students to guess the plot basedonthepeopleinvolved. Alternatively, askstudentstopredictorinvent more information about the characters than is provided.Images: copythepicturesthat appear throughout theReader,andaskstudentsingroupstorearrangethemaccordingtotheorder they think the pictures will appear in the story.Chapter titles: give students chapter headings and ask them todecide in which order they appear in the book.WHILST READINGThe objective for activities completed by students whilst readinga text is to develop comprehension to a point of retelling ability,andinturnincrease enjoyment of the story andreading inEnglish. Another aim is to help students understand what is notexplicitly stated. The ability to infer themes, emotions and ideasthat are not directly referred to is a valuable skill that Readers canhelp develop.A whats happened so far? quiz: ask students to create questionsbased on the text and then test each other in groups. Alternatively,asaprecursor toreadingthenext section, youcouldpreparequestions beforehand and the class could compete in teams.Character analysis: explore a particular character, findingadjectives in the text used to describe themand present asummary to the class.Dialogue: take different sections of dialogue out of the text andreadthemtotheclass, askingthemtorememberwhosaidit,what they were referring to, where they were, to whom they saidit and what was happening in the story at the time. As an exampleusing Catwoman, match the following elements of dialogue to theperson who said them, and the person it was said to:Whats your flat number? (Police officer to Patience)I went out there to rescue that cat. (Patience to police officer)Women want to look beautiful. (George Hedare to the othercompany directors)I dont like these designs at all. (George Hedare to Patience)Actingdialogue:afterreadingachapter, askstudentstofocuson the dialogue of a particular character. In groups, they act outa scene using the dialogue in the Reader. This could be extendedto role-play predicting what will happen in the rest of the chapter,and presenting those ideas to the class.Summary: in pairs students write a summary of whats happenedin the story so far, paraphrasing or noting down the key points.TIP!Scholastic Ltd Using Readers3Eventordering: photocopyasectionof thetext withasmanysentences as there are students in the class. Students learn theirsentencebyheart, andthenmovearoundtheclassrepeatingtheirsentencestoeachotherinordertolinethemselvesupinthecorrectorderofthetext. Whentheyarecertaintheyareinorder, they can recite their lines in sequence to check.Word stand-up: each student is allocated a word that appearsregularly in the text. As the teacher reads aloud or the audiotrack is played, each time their word is read out students haveto stand up and sit down again.Timelines: askstudentstodrawatimelineof theeventsthattake place during the story/chapter.Family trees: students drawa mapof whois connectedtowhom, and collate any factual details about characters name,age, job and so on.Gap-fill: take a paragraph of the text they have already read andblankout everyseventhword. Studentsremember what theyhave read in order to complete the text.Matching: in groups, students prepare facts about differentcharacters. The groups then test each other in a game-show style.Adjectives: preparegroups of adjectives andaskstudents toallocatethewordstodifferent characters, comparingdifferentgroups answers to see if they correspond.Definitions:beforereadinganewchapter, preparenewwordsanddefinitionsfor studentstomatch. Then, after readingthesectiontheycangobackandseeif their interpretationswerecorrect.Chapter posters: groups summarisethemainideas andkeyevents after reading each chapter and create a chapter poster forclass reference.FOCUS ON LANGUAGEVocabularyIt is important that students are given the chance to read withoutanalysing every word. Part of theskill of reading inanotherlanguage is the ability to infer meaning from context and not behinderedbyunknownwords. However, therewillbeimportantvocabulary that needs to be explored and explained.Vocabulary games: keep a collection of new words that appearinthetext whichcanthenbeusedfor fillers andwarmers.Hangman is always popular with teenage classes, as is Pictionary(students draw the word and their team has to guess what it is)and Actionary (students have to act out a word). Create a box ofcards withawordper cardandthedefinitionor wordtyperecorded on the back.Themedwords:givepairsathemefromthetextsuchaslove,school, family and they find any words that are connected withthat theme. They produce a mind-map with definitions if necessarywhich can then be displayed in the classroom as a reference tool.Summary: write a summary of the text blanking out the key wordsfrom the text. Students work in pairs to complete the summary.Grammar & StructureAlthough the primary aim is to allow students to read the text forenjoyment and not to hesitate over language structures, Readerscan be used for limited controlled language practice.Sentencestructure: at lower level textsstudentscanpractiseconnecting simple sentences, using words such as so, but,because, and so on.Retelling: in pairs, students write a summary of the events in thestoryinthepresenttense, concentratingonsentencestructureand grammar.Examples:providestudentswithgap-fillsentencesthatfeaturelanguage points they have recently learnt.Contractions: Ask students to focus on contractions and replacethem with the full word forms.Reportedspeech: takespecificlinesof dialogueandstudentstransfer them into reported speech.Finishing sentences: give groups beginnings of sentences, eitherconstructed yourself and based on the Reader or taken from thetext, and ask students to finish them, focusing on grammar andsentence construction. Alternatively, ask themto match twohalves of sentences for comprehension and development.Conditionals: forhigherlevels, askthemtodiscussalternativepossibilities for the story using conditionals. To prompt the activity,askthemtoimaginetheyareacharacterandhowtheymightthink at various points in the story:If I were Patience Philips, (I would) (Catwoman)If I were Frank, (I would) (Angelas Ashes)If I were Lois Lane, (I would) (Superman Returns)AFTER READINGIt is important to give students the opportunity to feed back afterreading the book, and share their ideas and reactions. Below aresome activity suggestions which can be modified to fit differentgroupings in class.WritingReview: studentswriteareviewof thebook, commentingoncharacter, plot, themes, the ending and so on, and awarding theReader a rating out of five stars.Rewriting: studentsworkinpairstorewritetheendingorthedenouement of the story. They read this aloud to the class, andthe class votes on which ending they like the most.Blurb: inpairsstudentsrewritetheblurbonthebackof thebook, including the elements that they think are the mostimportant to the story.Synopsis: students writeasynopsis of thestory, focusingonmain events and characters.Diaries: students choose a character and write a diary entry fromtwo different points during the book.Biography: students choose a character and write a biography ofthat character, beginning at the end of the book. What did he orshe go on to do with his or her life?Agonyaunt:learnerschooseadifficultpointinthestoryforaparticular character and write an agony aunt letter explaining theirproblems at that stage in the story asking for advice. Other studentscould respond to these letters with suggestions.Captions: in pairs, students write captions for the imagesthroughout the book.Surveys: askstudentstowriteandconduct surveysabout theReader and/or filmor televisionprogramme it is basedon.Students can present their findings to the rest of the class.SpeakingActing: ingroupsstudentsact out asceneandrecreatewhathappens in the book. If they prefer, they can change the ending.Interviews: studentscanscript andconduct aninterview, onepartner playing a character, the other the interviewer.Presentation: in groups students research a theme or topic fromthe Fact Files, and teach their research to the rest of the class.Discussion:takethemesfromthebookandusethemtostartdiscussions and debates, either in groups or pairs. The Fact Filessuggest themessuchasI want tobeperfect: plasticsurgery(Catwoman) or Should boys do ballet? (Billy Elliot), both of whichcould form the basis of a for or against debate.Running dictation: a passage from the text is stuck to one wallof the classroom. Working in pairs, student A sits at the other endof the classroom acting as scribe. Student B has to run to the text,memorise a section, run back to student A and dictate the text.GENERAL ACTIVITIESHot-seating characters: a student chooses a character to be, andsits in the centre of the room in the hot-seat. Other students askhimor her questions to establish which character they have adopted,and the student in the centre has to answer in character. Questionscan only be answered with yes or no.Adopt a character mill drill: students choose to be a character,andtheymovearoundtheclassroomaskingaquestiontheyhave prepared and answering other questions in character. Onceall the students have spoken to each other, they form groups towork out who everyone is and then feed back as a class.Matching dialogue: find pairs of statements and replies, writingScholastic Ltd Using Readers4themonseparateslipsof paper. Givestudentsaslipof papereach and ask them to memorise what is on the paper. Take theslips of paper away. They must find their partner by going aroundtheroomandrepeatingtheir sentence, listeningtoothers inorder to find the other half of their dialogue.FACT FILESDiscussion:eachFactFilehasquestionsthatcanbeusedasaspringboard for class or group discussion, giving the students anopportunity toengage withthe themes of the Reader onapersonal level, and also a chance to practise the vocabulary andlanguagetheyhavelearnt throughthetext. Alternativelythesequestions could form the basis of a writing activity.Fact File creation: students can write their own Fact Files, creatingposters or pages that could be collated to form a class Fact Filebook. Ask them to work in groups and choose a theme from thestory that they would like to explore.Projects: students can conduct further research on the subject ofan existing Fact File. Developments could include organizations,historical events, themes, characterhistoryintermsof creationand development (Batman originating from a comic, for example)andplaces. Students canusetheInternet, libraries andotherresources. Present findings to class and make a poster to displayin the classroom.Originsofstory:whatwasthesequenceofeventsfrominitialidea to final media production? Some readers started with books,sostudentscanfindout if thesewerebiographies, novelsorcomics. Students investigating readers that started as TVprogrammes can find out when they were aired, in what formatetc. Film based-readers can trigger questions such as who playedthemaincharacters, whereit wasfilmedandhowmuchthereader or film has in common with the original story.Creator research: Students can use the Internet and other sourcestoresearchthecreator/directoroftheprogrammeorfilm:JossWhedon, creator of Buffy; DCComics, theoriginof SupermanandBatman. What other productionshavetheycreated?Whatinspired the characters? Are there any other stories/programmes/films connected with these creators or stories e.g. Angel, the spin-off series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.AUDIO ACTIVITIESOne of the main benefits of readers is that students can listen totheaudiowhilst followingthetext onthepage. Thisdevelopseye-reading speed and increases confidence in reading. Theadvantages include:GStudents hear how words should be pronounced whilstseeing them written on the page, making a connectionbetween aural and visual interpretations of the wordGStudents hear the intonation and stress patterns of the textbeing read aloud, aiding comprehension and grammar andgiving them an example of English being read by a nativespeaker in a context that interests themGListening to a story being read aloud allows forinterpretation of the story on another level; the mood ofthe characters and their relationships/attitudes to oneanother as demonstrated through vocal expressionGIf students are given listening assignments to complete athome, they have control of the audio and can stop, startand repeat as much as required. The process isautonomous and student can organise and control thelistening activity completely independently of the teacherAlthough reading aloud is an important skill, it is one that cancause anxiety for a student learning a foreign language, especiallyifthetextiscompletelynewtothem. Astheirfocuswillbeonpronunciation and avoiding making mistakes, they will not absorbthe language and comprehension will be minimal.If studentsarerequiredtoreadaloudat anypoint, theyshouldbegiventimetoprepareapassagebeforehandand/orlisten to the audio first.TIP!It is important that the accompanying audio is primarilyconnectedinthestudents mindstoreadingforpleasure. Theyhavechosenaparticularreaderbecauseitintereststhem, andthe aim is to motivate students to read for the same reasons theywould in L1. As students listen the story becomes more naturalandfamiliartothemuntil theybecomeunawarethattheyarelistening in a foreign language. This type of language acquisitionis ideal as they becomeless awareof thelanguagelearningprocess. The audio can be used in place of the teacher readingaloud; a change of voice and an animated reading of the text isanother motivational factor.Although the audio that accompanies readers is mainly seenas a tool for extensive activities, it can also be used for intensivelistening. Short sections of the text can be used to illustrate andidentify pronunciation, intonation and stress patterns.Story preview: before reading the story, play sequences of audiofromthebeginning, middleandendofthestory. Discusswhattype of story it is, the genre, the characters and what events mighttake place. This audio glimpse gives the students a preview of thecharacters and relationships with each other early in the story, aswell as activating any prior knowledge of the text.Chapter preview: to introduce a new chapter, play the beginningof the chapter and then pause, giving the students anopportunity to feed back. What happened in the previous section,whathappened intheextractjustplayed, whatdotheypredictwill happen next?Audio Adjectives: make a list of adjectives describing charactersthat are used in the book and pre-teach them to the class. Playshort sections of the tape to the class and ask students to matchthe words or sets of words to each character.Key words: listen to a section, then students work in pairs andlist key words they think they will hear in the next section. Listenand check.Gap-fill: give students an extract from the tapescript with wordsblankedoutwhichtheycompletewhilstlistening. Alternatively,givestudentsthetapescript withsomewordssubstitutedwithincorrect details. Students listen and correct the mistakes.Gistlistening: givestudentssentenceswithphrasesor eventsfrom the section about to be played. Ask them to listen and putthe information in order.Dictogloss:pre-teachanynecessaryvocabulary. Studentslistentwice to a short section of the text without pausing. Students makenotesof keywordsor phrases, thenworktogether inpairstorecreate a version of the text. The class can compare their differentversions, and listen once again with the transcript.Conversation completion: prepare the text blanking outelements of dialogue.Students discuss in pairs what they thinkwassaid, andthenlistentotheaudiotwicetohelpthemhearthe missing words.Ordering: give students words that form sentences from the text,and ask students to put them in order.Listen to see ifthey arecorrect. Alternatively, give them sentences from a paragraph thatareinthewrongorderandaskthemtoputthemintherightsequence. Listen and check.Pronunciation practiceStress &intonation: givethestudents somenewsentencesfrom the text. Ask them to read them aloud in pairs and decidewhether the voice should go up or down at the end of sentences,and where the stress falls in the sentence. Listen and check.Pauses: working in pairs, students think about where in aparagraphthereader shouldpause. Compareresponses as aclass, then listen and check.Drilling: askstudentstorepeatshortsentencesafterthetape,copying pronunciation, stress and intonation.Weak forms: take a section of the text and blank out unstressedwords. Inpairs, studentsconsiderwhatthesewordsmightbe,and then listen to the audio to fill in the spaces. Over the page isan example of this activity, using a short extract from chapter 2 ofSmallville: Arrival. The unstressed words that could be removedare in italics:TIP!Scholastic Ltd Using Readers5Jonathan and Martha took the boy home to their farm.They named him Clark. They didnt tell him about hisarrival. They didnt tell other people either. If someoneasked, they said, Hes Marthas sisters son. She died.They didnt want Clark to be different from otherchildren. But he was different. He was special. He was verystrong. He was very fast. Nothing hurt him. When he waseight, a big milk can hit his head. It didnt hurt him.Verb tenses: Choose a paragraph with multiple examples of edendingsforthepastsimpleblankedout. Askstudentstothinkabout howthewordsarepronouncedandwhichof thethreeedendings they shoulduse, suchas decided, watchedandplayed. With lower levels, students can determine which form ofthe present simple should be used according to the person beingreferred to; he goes or they go, for example. Listen and check.Syllables: askstudentstoreadapassageanddeterminehowmany syllables words have. Listen and check.ORIGINAL FILM/TV PROGRAMME ACTIVITIESMany Scholastic ELT Readers are based on media titles that arepopular with teenagers all over the world, making themimmediately motivating andinteresting for the students. If alearner hasseenafilmandenjoyedit, theywill feel positivetowards the Reader from the beginning. As well as being availableonmanylocal orcablechannels, boththemoviesandtheTVseries of most titles are available on DVD. Whether you have accessto the screen version may influence your choice of Reader, andmight have an impact on the way you use the text in class. Thereare many things you can do with screen versions that will havebothlinguisticandmotivational benefitsforyourstudents, andactivities are not restricted to watching the film after the book hasbeen finished. Many argue that shorter, very specific activities willbenefit learners more than watching the film from beginning toend. Some activity suggestions are outlined below.Video is considered to be an authentic text as it is created foran audience of native speakers. It will give learners a great dealof satisfaction if they can understand even a small portion of thedialogueandwhathappensonscreen, andthereareactivitiesthat are suitable even with the lowest level students.Low-level students could watch visually stimulating parts ofthefilmwithminimal dialogue, suchastheopeningsceneofSuperman Returns, and describe the scene using only the presentsimple.Watching a screen version can aid understanding as there areparalinguistic features availablefor interpretation; backgroundnoise, voiceintonation, rhythmandstress, visual cluessuchasbodylanguageandfacial expressions, characters appearancesand settings/environments. Watching filmis captivating, andprovides language in context. The setting of a scene and the bodylanguageof actorscangiveaclear indicationof whether thelanguagetheyareusingisformal or informal. Inaddition, thewealth of cultural information that can be gleaned from watchinga programme or film can be exploited in class.Watching a film or television programme for pleasure is a verydifferent activity to watching in class for language practice. Whenwe go to the cinema we are passive viewers and the filmentertainsus. However, watchingafilmfor languagedevelopment isanactiveprocessandstudentsmayfindit strangeif theyarenotaccustomed to it. Keeping extracts short and focused is one wayto keep learners engaged in active analysis, especially if studentshave specific activities to complete.Whenpreparingactivities, keepsections short. Withanextract of more than10minutes it will be difficult tokeepstudentsinterested, andwill takealotof preparationtomakeactivities worthwhile.Reassureyour studentsthat theyareunlikelytounderstandevery word of the dialogue, but that using the screen version isTIP!TIP!still a beneficial activity. Remind them that the main focus is gist,or set them limited tasks to watch for specific information.When using film in the classroom, be aware that the contentof the corresponding Reader may have been modified to make itappropriatefor ateenageaudience. Thefilms mayhavelocalclassifications that should be considered, and it is recommendabletowatchthefilmfirstinordertoassessanyculturallysensitivematerial, such as language or behaviour that would beinappropriate.If the only screen version available has subtitles, it can still beused as they can be exploited for language use in the classroom,or coveredupif youdonot want studentstoseethem. Evendubbedfilmscanbeusedwithout soundfor visual activities,examples of which are given below.WhenplayingtheDVDinclass, makesurethat youcancontrol themachinefromwhereyouarestandingwhenthesequence plays.PreviewStorypreview:playthreeshortsequencesfromthebeginning,middle and end of the programme. Discuss what genre of storyit is, whothecharactersareandwhat eventsstudentsmightexpect. This could be a preview to reading the story, although becareful not to disclose the ending!Chapter preview: previewwhat might happen in the nextchapter. If there are differences between the film and the book,ask students to identify what they are.Preview without sound: Watch part of the film without sound.Ask questions to elicit details of the plot, characters, settings andvocabulary based on what the students know already about thetext and what they can see.Chapter heading: As a gist activity, show students a scene fromthe film, perhaps without sound, which is also focused on in thebook. Ask students to guess the chapter heading as a preview toreading the chapter.Images preview: if students are not familiar with the film or thetelevision programme, use the book and DVD/video cover,images from the reader and the blurb on the back of the book tointroduce the story. Ask them to predict how the film will begin,then play the first scene to see if they were right.Focus on settingVocabulary:chooseasectionofthefilmwherethevisualsareverystrongandthereis asubstantial amount of material fordescription; theopeningsceneisoftenagoodsourceof this.Pause or put the player on still and cover the screen with smallpieces of paper. Pre-teach the vocabulary that students will needtodescribethescene/environment, andthengraduallyremovethepiecesofpaperastheydescribewhattheycansee. Dividethe class into teams to introduce a competitive element!Drawing:findastill thathaspotential fordescriptionactivities.Studentsworkinteams. Halftheteamcanseethescreenandtheyhavetodirecttheotherstodrawthesceneeitheronthewhiteboard or on paper within a time limit.Focus on dialogueWhenpreparingactivitiesusingthescreenversionof thetext,remember that dialoguewill differ andwill bemorecomplex;colloquialisms, different accents and speeds of speech willchallenge the learner. It is important to select scenes to analysethat will not overwhelmstudents, andthat whereappropriatetheyhaveaccesstoascriptattheendoftheactivity. Intensivelistening of film dialogue can be difficult and it is likely that theywill not understand everything, even at a higher level. It is worthpointing this out to students before viewing.Subtitles:ifthefilmhassubtitlesinstudents L1, coverupthesubtitles and ask students to recreate the dialogue in their ownlanguage based on what they hear. Alternatively, students read thesubtitles covering the rest of the screen, and write the dialoguein English.TIP!TIP!Scholastic Ltd Using Readers6Who said what: from a section of the film that is also present inthebook, takesomeimportant dialogueandaskstudents toguess or remember who said the words. Then play the section ofthefilmfor students tocheck. Alternatively, youcouldplayascene without sound, and ask students to remember thedialogue,recreating it in pairs based on their knowledge of thestory so far.Scripting: watch a scene with no sound and ask students to createtheir own script to be spoken over the silent section of the film.Focus on characterAllocating adjectives: pre-teach some adjectives describingcharacter traitsor physical descriptors. Studentshavetogroupthemtogether guessingwhichadjectivesdescribeoneperson(forexample, 4people, 12adjectives, andtheyhavetodecidewhich ones correspond). Then watch a scene and learners allocatetheadjectivestodifferentpeople. Feedbackasaclasstoseeifthey all agree. If not, discuss why, looking at the scene in detail toprovide justification.Character profiling: learners prepare a description of a character,detailing what they look like, their interests and personality. Theyreadthemout andtheclasshastoguesswhichcharacter isbeing described.Focus on comprehensionShort clips can be played numerous times to ensure that studentsreach a high comprehension level of the scene, and to give themthe maximum opportunity to absorb the information on multiplelevels.Plot tracking: early in the film choose a scene which comes at acrucial point in the plot. Ask students to draw a timeline or flowchart up to this point explaining what has happened. If the filmis one that most students have seen, ask them to write their ownversion of the plot.Sound only: play a clip without the picture (adjust the brightnessor contrast or cover the screen). Ask students to listen, make notesand then in pairs work out what happened in the scene who waspresent, what they talked about, where they were etc. Feedbackideas as a class and watch the video to see if they were right.Prediction: after reading a chapter show the same section fromthe film. Pause the film at an important moment, and ask studentsto remember or predict what happens next; who says what andwhat elements of action take place.Recap: Useasectionof thevideo(perhapswithoutsound)torecap what happened in the previous chapter. Play the sequencewithout sound and ask students to retell the chapter as a class,saying once sentence each. Alternatively, use a still as a prompt,choosinganimagethatincorporatesthemainelementsofthesection.Spotthemistakes:halftheclass(groupA)watchasectionofthevideoandmakenotestoretell thestory. Workinginpairswhentheclasscometogether, groupAretell thestorytotheirgroup B partners. The storytellers make three deliberate mistakesin their retelling of the story, and group B then watch the sectionand identify the three mistakes that their partners made.Reviewing the filmReview:studentsbecomefilmcriticsandwriteareviewofthefilm considering the plot, action, special visual effects, and so on.Character analysis: after watching the film, students discuss thecharacters. Who was their favourite character and why; what wastheir contributiontothestory; what weretheir strengthsandweaknesses; was thereanything they didnot likeabout thecharacters or the way they behaved?Ending: discuss whether or not they liked the ending, and if not,how they think it should have been different. If they had not seenthe film before, was it the ending they expected?Criticism: ask students tobecritical of thefilmanddiscusselementsof thestorytheydidnotlike. Perhapstherewastoomuch violence, not enough action or they did not like theromance storyline.Praise: students identify their favourite scene in the film. Ask themto describe what happens in the scene and why they chose it.INDEPENDENT STUDYIf you ask your students to use the Readers at home independentlyof each other and of the teacher, it is important that they have aprocess of accountability in order to monitor their progress.TheSelf-StudyActivitiesat thebackof thebookcanbeused effectively for consolidation tasks at home. They have beentargetedspecificallytoaidcomprehensionandincorporatethevocabulary that appears in the New Wordssection at the backof thebook. Inadditiontoexercisessuchasmatching, trueorfalseandordering, theSelf-StudyActivitiesalsoincludeopen-endedquestions toencourage learners tothink about whatmight happen next. Answers to the questions are in the TeacherResource Sheets included in this booklet.Book reviews: ask students to complete a book review after theyfinish a text. These can form a class collection which learners canuse as a reference to help them choose their next book.Readingrings: studentsreadingthesametextcancheckwitheach other at the start of each class to ensure they make progressandtoclarifyanycomprehensionqueries. Theycansummarisewhat has happenedinthesectionof thestory, anddiscusscharacter and plot developments.Partner support: encouragetwoor morepeopleat least tochoosethesameReadersotheycancompareideas, feedbackand clarify comprehension queries.Guidance:giveyourstudentsguidanceastohowmuchofthetext they should be reading each time, such as two pages a day,and whether they should be listening to the audio and followingthe text at the same time.GUIDELINES FOR PHOTOCOPIABLE WORKSHEETS(see overleaf)Worksheet A: Word & Character AssociationTake words of a particular type (adjectives for example) from thetext and write them at random in the word box at the top of theworksheet. Stick pictures and/or write names to identify the fourcharacters on the worksheet. Photocopy one worksheet perstudent. Askstudentstomatchthewordswiththecharactersthey correspond to and write the words underneath the image.When choosing the words decide whether you want the answersto be clear cut, or whether words could be matched with morethan one character; make this clear to the students when givinginstructions.Worksheet B: Book ReviewPhotocopy one worksheet per student and ask them to completethe worksheet after finishing a book. Remind students that theyshould give a personal response, and that it does not necessarilyhave to be positive. Ask students to give the book a star rating outof five, colouring in the number of stars they award the book.TIP!Scholastic Ltd Using Readers7WORKSHEET A: WORD AND CHARACTER ASSOCIATIONMatch the words in the box above with the characters below. Words may be connected withmore than one character.NAME: CLASS:WORD BOXTitle of book: Level: Date started: Date Finished: Scholastic Ltd Using Readers8WORKSHEET B: BOOK REVIEWNAME: CLASS:Write a summary of the book: what kind of book is it, what are the themes, who are thecharacters, what is the book about?Give your opinion of the book. Do you like it? Why (not)? Who are your favourite charactersand why? Do you like the story?My star rating for this book is:#####