How students can exploit a text to support their learning

What are reading strategies?

Reading strategies are explicit approaches and techniques to improve comprehension of a written text. These reading strategies include skimming, scanning, surveying, highlighting, annotating, reading in detail, summarising, paraphrasing, predicting and identifying readers stance.

How to exploit a text 

Lead in

  • What reading strategies have you learnt so far?
  • How else could you use a text to support your learning?
  • Where could you find an academic text that you could exploit?
  • Compare your answers with a partner.

 Text exploitation: how to exploit a text to facilitate learning  [new 2020]

This lesson / worksheet helps improve students’ independent learning skills. It includes 6 tasks (vocabulary, grammar, cohesion, summary, paraphrase & referencing) on how to use text to facilitate learning (see worksheet example) Level ***** [B1/B2/C1]

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Vocabulary

Collocation: Learning vocabulary in context will enable you to see which words go together.

You could:

  • Annotate your chosen text (see fig.1).
  • Produce a spider gram (see fig.2), table (see fig.3) or both.
annotating a text academic English

Figure 1

annotating a text - a spider gram academic English

Figure 2

annotate a text - a table academic English

Figure 3

Grammar

Grammar: Learning grammar in context will help you to see how language works in a real situation.

You could:

  • Annotate your selected text (see fig. 1).
  • Produce a table (see fig. 2).
annotating grammar from a reading text academic English

Figure 1

annotating text for grammar - a table academic English

Figure 2

Additional questions

  1. How many different tenses are there in your text?
  2. Why has the writer selected to use these tenses?
  3. Do you know how to use these tenses accurately?
  4. Where can you get practice in these tenses?

Cohesion

Cohesion: Noticing how sentences and paragraphs are connected will help you to understand how to use linking words and phrases in a natural way.

You could:

  • Annotate the text (see fig.1) for reference words, transition signals, substitution, repetition and ellipsis.
cohesion in an academic text

Figure 1

Additional questions

    1. Why has the writer chosen to use these particular words?
    2. Could you think of any words that could replace these ones?
cohesion table academic English uk

Summary

Summary: Writing summaries are an important part of being a student. Use your text to practice this skill.

You could:

  • Annotate & edit the text (see fig.1) or take a set of notes (see fig. 2).
  • Use your edited text or set of notes to write your summary (see fig.3).
text exploitation - write a summary

Figure 1

text exploitation - summary notes academic English

Figure 2

an example summary of a text

Figure 3

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Paraphrase

Paraphrasing: Being able to paraphrase effectively is a vital academic skill. Use your text to practice and perfect this skill.

You could:

  • Copy and paste the paragraph you wish to paraphrase.
  • Highlight key terms that you can’t paraphrase, then work on the rest of the text.
    1. Use synonyms to change the words.
    2. Combine sentences.
    3. Change sentence structure.
    4. Change word forms.
    5. Change the grammar.

Original text

paraphrase a text academic English

Paraphrase

a paraphrase example - academic English

Analysis

paraphrase analysis - academic English

Referencing

Referencing: Being able to reference your sources correctly is an important part of being a student. Use your text to practice as much as possible.

You could:

  • Highlight the references in your text (see fig, 1) & produce a table of the different ways to reference (see fig. 2).
  • Rewrite the indirect citations so they are direct.
text exploitation - referencing

Figure 1

text exploitation - referencing table

Figure 2

Example indirect in-text citation to direct in-text citation:

  • Other company’s ethics have been questioned for environmental reasons, with Coca-Cola being accused of hoarding water supplies in rural communities (Vos et al., 2018).

  • Vos et al. (2018) claim that other company’s ethics have been questioned for environmental reasons, with Coca-Cola being accused.

 Text Exploitation: How to exploit a text to facilitate learning  [new 2020]

This lesson / worksheet helps improve students’ independent learning skills. It includes 6 tasks (vocabulary, grammar, cohesion, summary, paraphrase and referencing) on how to use text to facilitate learning (see worksheet example) Level ***** [B1/B2/C1]

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More reading resources…

 

 

Reading lesson: Improve your vocabulary

A great reading lesson on how to improve your vocabulary. The lesson starts with a discussion followed by a reading text with test type questions. The lesson includes teacher’s notes, question sheet, reading text and research website links. Words: 500.  Lower-levels ***** [B1/B2] TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Free Download

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Critical thinking – reading text analysis 

A great lesson for developing and practising critical thinking skills. It is a 400-word text on ‘going to university’ with over 15 possible problems. Students use the higher level thinking skills of analysis and evaluation to examine, question and critique the textExample.  Level: ***** [B1/B2/C1] TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

 

 

 

 Reading strategies 1 [new 2021]

This lesson helps improve students’ awareness of the key reading strategies. It practises prediction, surveying, skimming, scanning, guessing unknown words, reading for detail and summarising. It includes a 480-word text. Worksheet example Time: 60mins.  Level ***** [B1/B2/C1]  TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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Reading Strategies 2 (leadership styles text) [updated 2021]

Topic: Leadership & Management Styles.Use and practice a variety of reading strategies to understand how to read journal articles efficiently. 5-page worksheet on all reading strategies (scanning, skimming, genre analysis, reading for detail, summaries) & 8-page reading document. Level ***** [B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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Readings

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Tests

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Summary

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Vocabulary

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