SCOTT�S UNIVERSAL READING TASK
(revised)
PRE-READING
1
Read only the title. Predict 5
vocabulary items the article will contain.
2
Skim the article. Write down what
the main theme of the text is.
WHILE-READING
3
Is the author trying to persuade or inform you?
4
Define any new words.
5
What strategies did you use?
(guessing from context, looking for glosses in the text, translation,
dictionary look-up, etc)
6
Write down the main idea of each paragraph.
7
Diivide the article into sections.
What is the purpose of each section?
POST-READING
8
Write one sentence stating what you learned from this article.
9
Critical reaction: Whose
interests does this article reflect?
10
Indicate the level of your interest in this article:
11
Were there any paragraphs you had difficulty in understanding? Which ones?
12
Try to work out why you had difficulty.
What was the main reason? Tick (�) and explain:
a) lack of previous knowledge on the
topic
b)
grammatical problems
c)
inefficient reading strategies
d)
vocabulary
e) difficulty in recognising and understanding
the main points
f) other things � explain
13
Estimate your comprehension of the article (0-100%)
FOLLOW-UP WORK
14
Reference skills: Find other
articles on this topic from the library or internet.
15
Reading: Read these articles from
the library or internet.
16
Speaking: Explain one of these
articles to your class, explaining how it develops the article we have looked
at.
17
Speaking & listening: Discuss
the relevance and application of the article(s) to your studies.
18
Writing: Write a review of this
topic based on the articles and your discussion. Work in pairs.
[Task based on Scott M et al (1984),
`Using a �standard exercise� in teaching reading comprehension�, English Language Teaching Journal, 38/2,
pages 114-20]
