New

Oxford
dition
3 E
rd

Modern
English
BOOK
Nicholas Horsburgh
Claire Horsburgh
3
Guidance for Teachers
These are some additional helpful tips and recommendations for teachers to cover
the course efficiently and effectively.

Before starting a text

A pre-reading activity is useful in securing the attention of the learners
through activities that lead them to the text. Pre-reading activities should
be interesting, relevant, and fun to do. For each text, a pre-reading section
has been suggested. It should be used to lead a class discussion. Most
pre-reading activities suggested are open-ended, i.e., they may not have a
particular answer, but are useful for discussion that leads learners to the text.

Teachers may use any other interesting pre-reading activities with direct
relevance to the text to be taught.

All the pre-reading activities contain a reading focus. The purpose of the pre-
reading section is that learners read a text with that focus in mind.

Reading
A carefully planned reading class will go a long way in creating a love for
reading in the minds of the learners. Some techniques are suggested here
to help learners proceed step-by-step in the class from guided reading to
becoming independent readers.

Shadow reading
For young learners, read aloud each sentence of the text slowly. Ask learners
to follow the sentence with a finger and repeat after you. If a sentence is
longer, break the sentence into meaningful parts. Take a clear pause at each
break and at the end of each sentence.

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Show action wherever possible to accompany your reading aloud.

Read a text aloud at least twice. Then, ask learners to read aloud. Help them
with reading where necessary. All the texts should be taught in this manner.
However, in later years, the concept of silent reading is to be introduced as
well as it will help with independent learning and comprehension.

Chunk reading
Instead of asking learners to read a whole text all together, for Classes 1–4,
each text should be divided into reading chunks that can be better managed
by learners. Each text has been divided into two/three reading chunks for the
students to understand with ease. Use a focusing question/statement before
each reading chunk. Ask one/two link questions when students have finished
reading a chunk. The link question/statement can function as the focus for the
next reading unit. This has been done for all the prose texts. Linking/reflecting
and prediction questions/activities for the reading chunks are given to assist
learners in dealing with the texts. Allow learners to guess answers before
each reading chunk. It does not matter if their answers do not match the text.

Comprehension questions (factual, inferential, as well as extrapolative)

are meant to be used to hold a class discussion leading towards better
understanding of a text. They should not be used for rote learning and
memorization of facts from a text.

Extra clues from the text/learning questions should be used during discussion
to help learners grasp the context and the text better.

It is always a good idea to ask learners to go back to the text to find out the
facts during a class discussion.

Comprehension of poems
Poems for young learners reflect the rhythm of the language in a very obvious
manner. Since poems are shorter in length, teachers should read aloud the

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poetry texts with rhythm for learners to capture the natural pronunciation of
English. All the poems here have been marked for their stress pattern, which
creates the rhythm. Teachers should practice the rhythm by saying each
poem aloud with appropriate stress several times before doing it in class.

For each poem, apart from the rhythm, a listening focus has also been
provided. As learners listen, they try to get an answer for the listening focus.

Each poem should be read aloud by the teacher at least twice. Then, learners
should be asked to repeat the poem after the teacher. This is an effective
listening and pronunciation activity for English stress and rhythm.

When the listening is going on, the books must be kept closed. After the
second listening, learners can look at the text and listen to the teacher at the
same time.

Learners should then read the poem aloud, and then silently for better
comprehension.

For older learners, the teacher should ask the students to keep their books
closed and read the poem out to them. Then the teacher could ask a global
question, elicit a response which connects to their world knowledge or ask for
the theme of what has been read. See if the students can recall phrases and
words.

Comprehension questions
Comprehension questions should be done orally in a discussion mode and
not in a question-answer mode.

Learners may write the answers after the oral work.

Classroom procedure (group and pair work)

Learners should be given enough opportunities to find answers in pairs and

groups, and refer to the texts as many times as they want.

After reading of the text is done, follow this sequence for the questions: i.
comprehension, ii. vocabulary, and finally, iii. Pronunciation

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 Sample Lesson Plan

The Wooden
3 Bowl
Week 4 Duration 60 min

Learning Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

Outcomes • Enhance their listening and speaking skills
• Comprehend text post reading
• Polish their tenses (verbs)
• Write answers to comprehension questions
• Work on their composition skills

Date and Formative

Content and teacher activity
Time assessment
Day 1: Settling time: Verbal
00/00/00 Ask the students to settle down and share if they response

05 min have any difficulty or if they have not understood

from the previous lesson.

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Date and Formative
Content and teacher activity
Time assessment
10 min Starter: Verbal
Recap through questioning. Ask students the response
questions to see how much they remember from Recall
the previous lesson. Ask the students who were Speaking and
present in the previous class to help them revise. listening skills
Ask the everyone and gently probe and encourage
the students to provide answers. Try and gauge their
speaking and listening skills as well.
Keep in mind that some students may be shy to
participate but may have excellent listening and
speaking skills. Scaffold information and make them
feel comfortable enough so they may participate.
10 min Pre-reading:
Ask the pre-reading question present with the text. Brainstorming
Try to scaffold the information. Provide helpful hints Creative
and gauge if they are able to provide information on thinking
their own.
Gently probe students and encourage them to
participate.

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Date and Formative
Content and teacher activity
Time assessment
10 min Focused [Group/Silent] Reading: Reading skills
After pairing the students into groups, write the Comprehension
following questions on the board ask the students to skills
find out the answers after reading the chapter once. Silent reading
1. What is a wooden bowl? skills
2. Where is this story set? Discussion
3. What is the occupation of the father? skills
4. Did the grandfather knowingly break the bowl? Focused
5. Why was Wilhelm making a wooden bowl for reading
his parents? Brainstorming
10 min Class discussion: Skim & scan
Write the above-mentioned questions on the board
and ask the students to read through the text and try
to find the answers to these questions. However, ask
them to be mindful and not share the answers with
anyone.
After the entire class has read through the chapter
and has successfully found all the answer then as a
class discuss the answers and see how many pairs
have found the correct answers.

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Date and Formative
Content and teacher activity
Time assessment
10 min Teacher’s Resource: Answers
1. A wooden bowl is a cheap bowl made out of
wood.
2. They story is set in Germany.
3. The father is a carpenter.
4. No, the bowl broke because the grandfather’s
hands were shaking as he was too old.
5. Wilhelm was making a wooden bowl for his
parents because that is what he is learning in
his house.
Feedback:
Give feedback on responses.
10 min Reading aloud: Reading skills
Have a reading session with the students. Focus on Comprehension
the words that they are having difficulty in and repeat skills
until they can read the passage without any problem.
HOMEWORK:
Ask the students how they behave at home. What
kind of behaviour do they have with their parents and
grandparents. Are they happy with their behaviour or
would they like to improve on that. Do not push them
for an answer. Just ask them to quietly think and
ponder over their behaviour.

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Date and Formative
Content and teacher activity
Time assessment
Day 2: Class Work: Comprehension Verbal
00/00/00 Attempt Exercise A 1, 2, 3 in class. response
Brainstorm
20 min Challenge Question:
Creative
Have a small discussion on ‘Challenge Question’. thinking
Feedback: Prediction
Give feedback on responses and correct any answer Foreshadowing
if required.
20 min Class Work: Working with words: Verbal
Attempt Exercise B1, 2, 3. Response
Writing skill
HOMEWORK:
Brainstorming
Practice B1. Creative writing

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Date and Formative
Content and teacher activity
Time assessment
Day 3: Activity: Learning about language
00/00/00 Introduce the concept of conjunctions in class. Inform Writing skill
15 min the students that conjunctions are used to join two Brainstorming
independent sentences. Creative
1. Write ‘Yesterday I …..’ on the top corner of thinking skills
the board.
2. Elicit simple verb forms from the students
and list them on the board. Show on the
board how to change the present tense into
the past tense. (e.g. eat-ate, book-booked)
3. Tell the students that they will now make
sentences about what they did yesterday.
Show them how to use ‘Yesterday I…’
with a past tense verb in a sentence. e.g.
‘Yesterday I ate an apple.’
4. Divide the class into two groups, group A and
group B.
5. Ask a student from group A to make a
sentence in the past tense. Give a point for
a correct response. Then ask a student from
group B to make a sentence using the past
tense.
6. Play the game until all students have made
ten sentences altogether.
Class Work: Verb (tenses)
Attempt Exercise C 1, 2 in class.
Feedback:
Give feedback on responses and correct any answer
if required.

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Date and Formative
Content and teacher activity
Time assessment
10 min Workbook Exercise: Writing skill
Attempt workbook exercises.
HOMEWORK:
Practice the uses of tenses. Complete any
incomplete work.
Day 4: Activity: Listening and Speaking Verbal
00/00/00 Ask the students to attempt the listening and response

15 min speaking exercises as directed.

Try and make them autonomous readers.
They should be able to do the questions on their own
at this stage.
However, provide assistance where required.
15 min Class Work: Verbal
Attempt Ex: D 1, 2, 3. response

Feedback:
Give feedback on responses and correct any answer
if required.
10 min HOMEWORK: Speaking skills
Complete any incomplete work.

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Date and Formative
Content and teacher activity
Time assessment
Day 5: Class Work: Composition Verbal
00/00/00 Attempt Exercise E 1 in class. response
Discuss the composition with the students and make Writing skills
20 min
sure that they understand the concept in detail. Reading skills
Provide them with everything that they may require Speaking skills
and keep providing them assistance whenever Listening skills
required. Composition
Feedback: skills

Give feedback on responses and correct any answer

if required.
10 min Homework:
Attempt Ex: E2.
05 min Plenary: Ask the students the following Brainstorm
questions: Verbal
What have you learnt today? Response
Give me five good things you did last week?

ASSESSMENT REFLECTION

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