Category Archives: Reading

Testing and teaching detailed comprehension

Posted on 15/10/2013 by alexcase

Can’t remember how I got it into my head to write an article about such a huge and complex topic, but hopefully managed a mix of a summary of well-known but frequently ignored advice plus a few of my own less conventional ideas … Continue reading →

Posted in Listening, Reading | Comments Off on Testing and teaching detailed comprehension

The modernist approach to authentic texts

Posted on 03/07/2012 by alexcase

I really appreciate the regular news lessons from sites tlike The Grauniad and BreakingNewsEnglish, but I can’t work out why most of them have the exact same activities week after week. For me, repeating the same activity over and over … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading | 2 Comments

Does reading help speaking more than listening does?

Posted on 04/05/2012 by alexcase

… because that is what I told one of my students in a one to one class the other day. I then wondered where on earth I got that idea from – as I don’t remember ever having consciously coming … Continue reading →

Posted in Listening, Reading | 6 Comments

Graded readers in the classroom

Posted on 20/01/2012 by alexcase

An old article of mine, I forget which magazine it was first in: Most schools have at least a couple of graded readers somewhere around the place, if only freebies that were sent unsolicited by publishers, and if not it … Continue reading →

Posted in Graded readers (easy readers) | Comments Off on Graded readers in the classroom

A 21st century skimming and scanning activity

Posted on 10/08/2010 by alexcase

“With your partner, find the one message in the first ten pages of blog spam that is actually a proper comment”

Posted in Reading, scanning, skimming, Technology | Comments Off on A 21st century skimming and scanning activity

New EFL handouts Feb 2010 Part Two

Posted on 17/02/2010 by alexcase

Prepositions and body part mimes Comparative and superlative plus adverb Speaking Health problems mimes Writing reviews in English- Harry Potter Words often used in newspaper headlines Webquest Reading in English discussion questions

Posted in comparatives, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Discussion questions, ELT management, Materials, Medical and pharmaceutical English, Prepositions, Reading, Reviews, superlatives, Technology, TEFL, Webquest, Writing | Tagged | Comments Off on New EFL handouts Feb 2010 Part Two

Reviewing graded readers

Posted on 01/02/2010 by alexcase

… is tricky, possibly second only to dictionaries in being difficult to write about. You can of course list their component bits (CD, exercises at the back, glossary, illustrations, list of characters) and judgements on them, but the main things … Continue reading →

Posted in ELT publishing, Graded readers (easy readers), links, Materials, TEFL reviews | 4 Comments

New PDF handouts Jan 2010 Part Two

Posted on 18/01/2010 by alexcase

If you can’t open PDFs for any reason or want to edit before you print, just highlight the text on the webpage, right click, copy, paste into a word processor programme and format and edit to your heart’s content. Feel … Continue reading →

Posted in Adjectives, Discussion questions, Email, flashcards, Giving opinions, Phonics, Photocopiable worksheets, Question formation, Teaching young learners, TEFL games, tense review, Vocabulary, Writing | Tagged | 2 Comments

On the CELTA, Japan, and very small learners

Posted on 22/11/2009 by alexcase

An interview with Charlie Richards of Learning Tree English, a private language school for 16 and unders (sometimes far unders!) in Osaka. “I first came across your school through your excellent examples of young learner lessons on YouTube. Typical lessons … Continue reading →

Posted in CELTA, Cultural differences/ cultural training, Discipline in the classroom, EFL CD ROMs, English through craftwork, Lesson planning, Phonics, pre-school/ kindergarten/ very young learners, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching Japanese primary school children, Teaching young learners, Technology, TEFL career planning, TEFL games, textbooks, Using songs with kids, Using storybooks | Tagged | 2 Comments

New TEFL articles etc April 2009

Posted on 23/04/2009 by alexcase

No messing, no pointless attempts at humour (for once), just links to more serious stuff I’ve been publishing elsewhere: 15 ways of combining listening and reading – LINK FIXED 15 fun activities for practising a, an and the – LINK FIXED The … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom management, Classroom routines, Determiners and articles, Ending lessons, Grammar, Grammar games, Interactive whiteboard, Learner motivation, links, Listening, Mixed ability classes, pre-school/ kindergarten/ very young learners, Reading, reported speech, Skills, Staging, Teaching mixed level classes, Teaching young learners, Technology, TEFL, TEFL games, Using a whiteboard, Usingenglish | 6 Comments