Skkn adapting reading tasks in the new textbook tieng anh 11 to improve students’ reading comprehension

NGHE AN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
––––––––––––––––––––––––

ADAPTING READING TASKS IN THE NEW TEXTBOOK
“TIENG ANH 11” TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING
COMPREHENSION

Subject: English
Group: Foreign languages – Literature

Vinh, 2022

skkn


NGHE AN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
––––––––––––––––––––––––

ADAPTING READING TASKS IN THE NEW TEXTBOOK
“TIENG ANH 11” TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING
COMPREHENSION

Subject : English
Researcher: Vo Thi Thuy Linh
Phone number: 0984359184
Group: Literature – Foreign languages

Vinh, 2022

skkn

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS

PAGE

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1

1. Rationale

1

2. Aims of the Study

2

PART II: CONTENT

3

I. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

3

1. Reading skills

3

2. Definition of reading comprehension

3

3. Adapting textbooks

3

3.1. What is textbook adaptation?

3

3.2. Principles and techniques for adapting textbooks

4

3.3. Purposes of adaptation

5

II. PRACTICAL BACKGROUND

5

1. An overview of the new textbook “Tieng Anh 11”

5

2. Situation of teaching and learning reading skills at high school

5

III. THE STUDY

6

1. Situation analysis

6

1.1. Setting of the study

6

1.2. Scope of the study

6

1.3. Participants

6

1.4. Instrumentation

6

1.5. Data collection procedures

7

skkn


2. Findings of the study

7

3. Finding solutions

8

3.1. Suggested adaptations for some reading tasks in the new textbook
“Tieng Anh 11”

8

3.2. Sample lesson plans

19

4. Results and Discussion

19

PART III: CONCLUSION

37

1. A summary of the development of the study

37

2. Limitations

37

3. Recommendations

38

REFERENCES

39

APPENDICES

Pl-1

skkn


PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Of the four language skills, reading seems to have received a great deal of
attention from researchers in second language teaching. It is considered “the
most important of the four skills in a second language, particularly in English as
a second or foreign language” (Carrell, 1981:1). Despite its importance, many
teachers of English at high schools find it difficult to get students’ enthusiasm in
reading texts. From students’ responses to the survey questions, it can be seen

that many of the students feel frustrated at long reading texts with unfamiliar
words. Besides, many of them admit that they do not have necessary background
knowledge about the topic of the reading texts or even they do not like the topic
itself. Consequently, they are not willing to learn reading skill as well as carry
out the reading tasks given in the textbook.
Another factor that should be considered when we mention the quality of
teaching and learning reading skill at high school is the reading tasks given in
the textbook. It can be easily noticed that some of the reading tasks are similarly
designed in different units, namely answering the questions, choosing the best
title, matching words and phrases with their definitions. This, to some extent,
causes repetition and boredom to students.
In addition, there is a lack of teachers’ flexibility in creating a suitable
learning environment for students in class. Statistics collected from the
questionnaire reveal that a large number of students are not confident enough to
perform all the given tasks by themselves. Instead, they often rely on their
friends as well as reference books for correct answers. As a consequence,
students cannot improve their reading comprehension during the process of
learning reading skills. In addition, most of the students involved in the survey
claim that they prefer working in groups of students with the same level of
proficiency in reading classes. Thus, flexible work arrangements in reading class
should be taken into consideration to boost students’ motivation and the quality
of teaching and learning reading skills.
Last but not least, the outbreak of COVID -19 has forced schools to utilize
new ways of learning and teaching, including formal and virtual classes.
Therefore, adaptations for textbook lessons with the aim of making them easier
and more suitable for students’ competence are necessary to reduce their
learning pressure.
Related to these problems, this study was carried out, entitling: Adapting
reading tasks in the new textbook “Tieng Anh 11” to improve students’
reading comprehension.

1

skkn


2. Aims of the study
The study aims at suggesting adaptations of some reading tasks given in
the new textbook “Tieng Anh 11” to enhance the 11 th graders’ reading
comprehension.

2

skkn


PART II: CONTENT
I. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1. Reading skills
Reading is known as a receptive process that connected the reader with
the text, making comprehension.
Harmer (2001: 153) states that “reading is an exercise dominated by the
eyes and the brain. The eyes receive messages and the brain then has to
work out the significance of these messages”. Thus, although there are
different ideas about reading skills, they all focus on two actions: studying
with eyes and comprehending with brains, of which the latter is more
important since the final goal of reading instruction is comprehension. The
readers do not simply look at and understand the meaning of what is written
but also read authors’ thinking.
In terms of skills required to learn reading effectively, there are many

skills in the reading process, namely scanning, skimming, summarizing,
paraphrasing, etc. However, at the level of high school students, scanning and
skimming are two most important ones that matches with their learning ability
and goals.
2. Definition of reading comprehension
In the context of language learning, according to Ur (1996:34), “reading
means reading and understanding”. In this sense, if a student can read the words
but doesn’t know what they mean, it is not reading but “decoding”. Sharing this
view, Karlin and Kartin (1988:2) also express that “reading without reading
comprehension is meaningless.”. In other words, reading comprehension is a
complicated process in which readers use their own knowledge, experiences and
strategies to understand the content of the text. Therefore, how to assist students
in having efficient reading comprehension is considered to be the most
challenging task in teaching reading.
3. Adapting textbooks
3.1. What is textbook adaptation?
Adapting textbook activities is not just something teachers should do as
the need arises but also for appealing to the lower, middle and strong student
levels. Textbook adaptation is performed to make textbook lessons more
communicative and incorporate authentic textbook into the lessons. Adapting is
the ability to create the textbook that introduces and integrates skills in a lively,
enjoyable and productive format.
3

skkn


3.2. Principles and techniques for adapting textbooks
Despite the great effort that textbook writers make to meet the needs of
the intended users, textbooks are subject to adaptation when they are actually

used in the classroom. McDonough and Shaw (1993:83) propose that textbooks
are internally coherent although they may be, they may not be entirely
applicable. Although most classroom teachers will not be involved in the
production of textbooks, all teachers have the responsibility for textbook
evaluation, selection and adaptation. It is undeniable that adapting textbook
allows teachers to achieve more compatibility and fitness between the textbook
and the teaching environment, and therefore maximize the value of the book for
the benefit of their particular learners and for the most effective teaching
outcomes to achieve. Maley (1998:281) suggested the following techniques to
adapt textbook:
• Omission: the teacher leaves out things seemed inappropriate, offensive,
unproductive, etc., for the particular group.
• Addition: where there seems to be inadequate coverage, teachers may
decide to add to textbooks, either in the form of texts or exercise material.
• Reduction: where the teacher shortens an activity to give it less weight or
emphasis.
• Extension: where an activity is lengthened in order to give it an additional
dimension. (For example, a vocabulary activity is extended to draw attention to
some syntactic patterning.)
• Rewriting/modification: teacher may occasionally decide to rewrite
material, especially exercise material, to make it more appropriate, more
“communicative”, more demanding, more accessible to their students, etc.
• Replacement: text or exercise material which is considered inadequate, for
whatever reason, may be replaced by more suitable material. This is often culled
from other resource textbook.
• Re-ordering: teachers may decide that the order in which the textbooks are
presented is not suitable for their students. They can then decide to plot a
different course through the textbooks from the one the writer has laid down.
• Branching: teachers may decide to add options to the existing activity or to
suggest alternative pathways through the activities.

Textbook adaptation can be done at three levels. The first level is macro
adaptation, which is ideally done before the language program begins. After
comparing what is covered in a textbook and what is required by the syllabus or
examination, the teacher may find that certain areas or even whole units of the
book can be omitted, and certain contents need to be supplemented.
4

skkn


The second level of adaptation is adapting a unit. This could be done by
reordering the activities, combining activities, omitting activities, rewriting or
supplementing exercise material, etc. Unit adaptation helps to make the
classroom teaching smoother and more cohesive. It also helps the teacher to
better fulfill the aims of a unit.
The third level is adaptation of specific activities in a unit. Occasionally
an activity is regarded as valuable, but it is not well-designed or it is not suitable
in a particular class. If the teacher does not want to give up the activity, he or
she needs to adapt it.
3.3. Purposes of adaptation
McDonough and Shaw (1993:83) propose that “textbooks are internally
coherent although they may be, they may not be entirely applicable”. Despite the
great effort that textbook writers make to meet the needs of the intended users,
textbooks are subject to adaptation when they are actually used in the classroom.
The teachers may choose to adapt the material they are using with a view to
making it more relevant, suitable and useful to their students, which plays a
significant role in stimulating students’ motivation and increasing their
achievement during the leaning process of reading skills.
II. PRACTICAL BACKGROUND
1. An overview of the new textbook “Tieng Anh 11”

Each unit in the textbook “Tieng Anh 11”, which refers to a particular
theme, is divided into 6 sections: Getting started, Language, Skills,
Communication and Culture, Looking back and Project. Each section is
designed with different kinds of activities with a view to helping students follow
the lessons easily and attain basic knowledge related to the theme of the unit as
well as improve their skills in terms of Reading, Speaking, Listening and
Writing. Normally, each skill lesson is taught and learnt in a 45-minute period.
Like other skill lessons presented in the textbook, reading lessons consist
of different activities from the easier to more complicated ones for students to
fulfill. However, it is noticeable that some task types, namely answering the
questions, matching words and their definitions, are repeated in all reading
lessons and to some extent cause boredom to students.
2. Situation of teaching and learning reading skills at high school
Under the instructions of Ministry of education and training, all schools
now have had their own syllables for teaching and learning English. As far as I
am concerned, most high schools in Nghe An province allot 45 minutes for each
skill lesson. However, many of the activities in Listening, Speaking and Writing
lessons in general and in Reading lessons in particular are not fully carried out
due to the lack of time as well as students’ uneven levels of proficiency. Many
5

skkn


of the students admit that they are unable to complete all of the tasks
themselves. The quality of the reading lessons is also rooted from the
monotonous requirements of some tasks given in the textbook. Taken these
factors into consideration, it is undeniable that the objective of the lesson is not
always reached. Because of these reasons, I would like to suggest a number of
adaptations for some reading tasks to make them easier for students to fulfill so

that the lesson objective is fully gained.
III. THE STUDY
1. Situation analysis
1.1. Setting of the study
The study was conducted at Le Viet Thuat High School in Nghe An
province. At Le Viet Thuat high school, the 11 th graders have four 45-minute
periods of English a week and there are only six reading lessons in each
semester. The official textbook used at Le Viet Thuat high school is Tieng Anh
11, edited by Hoang Van Van and written by Phan Ha, Hoang Thi Hong Hai,
Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Kieu Thi Thu Huong, Vu Thi Lan, Dao Ngoc Loc, and
Chung The Quang, published by Nha xuat ban giao duc Viet Nam.
1.2. Scope of the study
The study was conducted in the second semester of the academic year
2021-2022. Some of the reading passages from unit 6 to unit 10 of the textbook
Tieng Anh 11 were used as the materials for the study.
1.3. Participants
The participants of the research consist of 90 students of 11 th form from
classes 11A and 11D at Le Viet Thuat high school. In this study, no students
were identified by their names. All of the informants have the same time of
learning English of six years; and they have already completed the syllabus of
English with the new series of English textbook from grade 6 to grade 10 at
secondary school. The most significant point for choosing these participants is
that there are no noticeable differences in their levels of proficiency. This is
proved by their average scores in grade 10 and in the first semester of this
academic year.
1.4. Instrumentation
In order to get information to fulfill the aims of the study, a survey
questionnaire (given in Appendix 1) was designed and delivered to the student
respondents. The survey questionnaire included two parts: Part 1 was some
personal information and Part 2 comprised 5 questions relating to researched

issue. Questions in the questionnaire contained both closed-ended questions and
opened-ended questions. The questionnaire was written in Vietnamese in a
logical order so that they could gradually lead the respondents into the theme of
6

skkn


the study and stimulate the respondents to answer the questions the most
exactly.
In addition, after each reading lesson intended to adapt in the research,
students were provided with 2 different survey questionnaires (given in
Appendix 2), which were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the application of
the study. One survey questionnaire is for reading lessons whose tasks are taught
exactly as they are presented in the textbook. The other is for the lessons in
which some tasks are adapted to make them suitable for real teaching and
learning contexts.
1.5. Data collection procedures
The quantitative method was mainly used in the study. A survey through
questionnaire was conducted among the participants with a view to gathering
students’ opinions on learning reading in class. Another two survey
questionnaires for each reading lesson, one for reading lessons without any
adaptations and the other for the ones containing adapted tasks, was employed to
receive students’ responses from which the author could assess the effectiveness
of the adaptation. The participants were asked to answer all of them honestly
and frankly. All of these answers would be used as important data of the study.
The participants, then, were divided into two groups, one was taught with
the application of the intended adapted tasks while the other was not. After the
two groups had completed their study with different teaching methods (with and
without using task adaptations), their responses were used to draw the

conclusion on the effectiveness of the adaptation.
2. Findings of the study
The results from the survey disclose that only 10 out of 90 students,
believe that reading skill plays an insignificant role in learning English. On the
contrary, a majority of the participants (89%) regard reading as the most
important one.
However, despite this evaluation, most of the students do not like reading
skills. 22% of the participants show their interest in learning reading skill in
class while 70 out of 90 respondents reveal that they find reading lessons in the
textbook unattractive. This is explained through their comments on the factors
that affect their reading comprehension while learning reading skills. 72% of the
students who do not like reading claim that there are too many new words and
new structures in the reading passages. 68 % of the respondents show their
disinterest in certain types of reading tasks in the textbook, namely answering
the questions, matching words and their definitions.
Another factor which has bad influence on students’ preference for
learning reading skills lies in the requirements of some reading tasks. 28,6% of
students in this group complain that these tasks are difficult for them to carry
7

skkn


out. Approximately 20% of the students admit that lack of background
knowledge on the topic prevents them from having a thorough comprehension
of the reading texts. Because of the subjective and objective reasons mentioned
above, 67% of the students reveal that they do reading tasks by copying the
answers from their friends, reference books or the Internet. Only 33% of the
participants do the tasks by themselves.
Anticipating students’ ideas basing on practical teaching experience, the

author also includes some questions related to the way they learn reading skills
in class. It is a matter of fact that the author always asks students to read the
passages and prepare new words before each reading lesson. Their preparation is
noted down in a separate notebook and will be checked by the teacher by the
time they start the new lesson. It is motivating for the author to find out that all
of the respondents agree that this is useful for their better understanding of the
text as well as remembering vocabulary.
Besides a careful preparation in advance, work arrangement during the
lesson is considered a vital factor contributing to students’ successful
performance in class. Therefore, other than questions focusing on the reading
skill, some other questions are designed to discover preferred interactions
among students while they carry out reading tasks. It is surprising to see that a
majority of the participants prefer to work in groups of similar levels of
proficiency as this helps them to study the most effectively.
From these findings, I would like to make some suggestions on changing
the requirements of some reading tasks in the new textbook in order to facilitate
students’ process of actively taking part in reading activities, hence enhance
their reading comprehension competence.
3. Finding solutions
3.1. Suggested adaptations for some reading tasks in the new textbook
“Tieng Anh 11”
The first thing needs to be made clear is that the exercise of matching
words and their definitions, which appear in all of the reading lessons from unit
6 to unit 10, will not be taught in class as a separate activity in the same order as
they are in the book. Instead, they will be presented at the beginning of the
lesson as students are required to prepare for them before they come to class and
many of the students cannot understanding the text without knowing the
meanings of the words. Followings are suggestions for adapting other tasks in
the reading lessons of units 6, 7, and 10.
Unit 6: Global Warming

Reading lesson: Global warming is real

8

skkn


Lesson objectives: skimming and scanning a text for general ideas and specific
information about the causes and effects of global warming.

a. Comments:
It can be seen that although the topic sounds familiar in modern society,
its vocabulary including some specific terminology is strange to many students.
In addition, it is challenging for students of average proficiency to complete all
of the five activities in this reading lesson in 45 minutes.
According to the passage, there are two primary causes and 5 effects of
global warming and the main activities for reading comprehension are task 2 and
task 4. Task 2 asks students to choose the statement that expresses the main idea
of the passages. Task 4 includes 6 questions about details of the passage.
However, the questions in task 4 do not cover all of the causes and effects
mentioned in the text. Therefore, it will be difficult for students to carry out the
9

skkn


first activity in task 5, which asks them to discuss the most serious effects of
global warming. Thus, personally I believe that the requirements of the given
tasks should be modified so that students can acquire full comprehension of the
reading text.

b. Suggestions for adaptation:
From the above comments, I would like to suggest some changes to the
activities in tasks 2, 4 and 5. The requirements and questions in tasks 2 and 4
will be converted into the form of multiple-choice questions with some other
added ones to help students have a broader understanding of the passage.
Besides, task 5 is considered a difficult one for students of average proficiency;
therefore, students will be provided a diagram to label, using the words and
phrases in the text before they discuss in groups.
Suggestion for tasks 2 and 4: Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C,
or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
1. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Global warming is the rise in the world’s temperature.
B. Global warming leads to the extinction of millions of species in the world.
C. Global warming is mainly caused by humans and has negative impacts on
people’s lives.
D. People have to work together to reduce the risks of global warming.
2. According to the passage, carbon dioxide emissions come from _____.
A. coal burnt to make electricity
B. demand for public transport and electricity
C. building power plants and producing vehicles
D. the burning of petrol for transport and coal for electricity.
3. The writer mentions “deforestation” in the passage because ____.
A. it is a cause of global warming
B. it occurs frequently in recent years
C. it is the effect of the temperature rise
D. it is the consequence of coal burning
4. According to the passage, what is the impact of sea level rise?
A. People lose their home.
10

skkn


B. It kill large numbers of people.
C. It causes the rise in temperature worldwide.
D. More natural disasters happen.
5. According to the passage, crop harvests reduction results from ____.
A. low temperature

B. famine

C. global warming

D. droughts and floods

6. It can be inferred from the passage that water shortages ____.
A. is one of the worst effects of global warming.
B. contributes to protecting ecosystem.
C. is unlikely to delay economic growth.
D. affects the productivity of crops.
7. According to the passage, the disappearance of species ____.
A. plays an important role in remaining species diversity.
B. is a matter of great concern for humans.
C. is an unpredicted effect of global warming.
D. is a consequence of temperature rise globally.
8. What does the write imply in the last paragraph?
A. Global warming is definitely caused by humans.
B. Reducing global warming is the responsibility of everyone.
C. Global warming is the biggest issue facing humans today.
D. Understanding about global warming helps people reduce its effects.

Descriptions for adapted activity:
- Work arrangement: individual work or pair work
- Possible outcomes:
+ students know about the main idea of the passage through question 1.
+ students know about 2 causes of global warming through questions 2, 3 and
about 5 effects through questions 4 to 8.
+ students can improve their reading comprehension by giving the answers to
these questions correctly.
11

skkn


- Answers:
1. C 2. D 3. A 4. A 5. C 6. A 7. B 8. B
Suggestion for task 5: Complete the diagram with the words and phrases in
the passage and then discuss the following question: Which of the effects of
global warming do you think is the most serious?

CAUSES

GLOBAL WARMING

EFFECTS

Descriptions for adapted activity:
- Work arrangement: group work
- Possible outcomes:

12

skkn


+ students reinforce their understanding by choosing suitable information from
the previous task and in the passage to complete the diagram.
+ students can improve their reading comprehension by giving correct answers
to the task and explaining their choices about the most serious effect of global
warming.
- Answers:
Carbon dioxide
emissions

Deforestation/
cutting down of
forests

CAUSES

GLOBAL WARMING

EFFECTS

Sea level
rise

Severe
weatherheated
natural
disasters

Crop
harvests
reduction

Water
shortages

Widespread
loss of
species

13

skkn


Unit 7: Further Education
Reading lesson: Preparation for higher education
Lesson objectives: reading for general ideas and specific information about
higher education opportunities.

a. Comments:
The reading passage provides students with some fundamental knowledge
about how to prepare for higher education in the UK. With task 1, students have
to make a similar table for the education in Viet Nam. It seems that it is timeconsuming activity since students cannot immediately come up with necessary
information to fill in the table in reality. In addition, doing this does not

14

skkn


contribute greatly to achieving the goal of the lesson. Because of this, I suggest
that task1 should be done with more simple requirements.
Students’ reading comprehension is mostly illustrated through task 2 and
task 4. Nevertheless, the questions in task 4 do not cover all of the main ideas in
the passage in which there are such unfamiliar terms as AS, A-level, or TOK.
Added to that, it is a factual matter that many students lack background
knowledge of the topic. All of these subjective and objective factors are likely to
prevent students from having a deep understanding of the passage.
Consequently, students do not have sufficient knowledge and information to get
task 5 fully performed.
b. Suggestions:
To improve students’ reading comprehension of the passage, I propose
some adaptations for the question in task 1 and task 5. A summary of the reading
text would be of great help for students to comprehend most of the information
in the passage as they have to find appropriate words or phrases to complete it.
Suggestion for task 1:
Look at the table of the British state-run education system and make a
comparison between British and Vietnamese education systems about the
number of education levels and age to start and finish each level.
Following this requirement students will be able to self-direct what they
have to do and pay attention to the information they need. As a result, they will
as well as get some knowledge related to the content of the passage as well as
have the task carried our quickly and save time for other activities.
Descriptions for adapted activity:
- Work arrangement: pair work
- Possible outcomes:
+ students know basic information about the education system in Britain

+ students show their acquisition of the information in the table by making
comparisons with Vietnamese education system.
- Suggested answers:
+ similarities: There are 4 levels of education in both Britain and Viet Nam:
foundation school, primary school, secondary school and vocational school or
college.
+ differences: - Children in Britain start primary school at the age of 5 and finish
it at 11 while students in Viet Nam begin and complete it at 6 and 10
respectively.

15

skkn


- Similarly, Vietnamese and British students have differences in
the starting and finishing age in the rest of education levels. For example,
secondary school students in Britain complete their level 2 years earlier than in
Viet Nam.
Suggestion for task 5: Complete the following summary about higher
education in the UK, using the words in the text.
In the UK, students from both England and all over the world have
chances to pursue (1)______ education to get highly appreciated qualifications
after finishing secondary school. To apply for this level of education, such
academic qualifications as (2)______ or IB should be taken into consideration.
In order to get the A-level, students have to choose 3 or 4 subjects to learn. After
2 years of learning these subjects, they sit for AS and A-level (3)______. IB,
which offers qualifications in 6 or 7 subjects including three (4)______
subjects: mathematics, native language and theory of knowledge, is an
alternative to the A-level. IB can be achieved from many schools and (5)______

throughout the UK. However, students whose mother tongue is not English have
to take an English language (6)______ to be qualified for any higher education
courses in the UK.
Descriptions for adapted activity:
- Work arrangement: group work
- Possible outcomes:
+ apart from the information acquired from task 4, with this summary students
know more about higher education in the UK by choosing suitable words for
each gap.
+ students can improve their reading comprehension by scanning to use the most
correct words to fill in the gaps.
- Answers:
1. higher

2. A-level

3. examinations

4. mandatory

5. colleges

6. test

Unit 10: Healthy Lifestyles and Longevity
Reading lesson: Life expectancy factor
Lesson objectives: developing the ability to follow the logical structure of a text
and reading for specific information about factors responsible for the increase in
life expectancy.

16

skkn


a. Comments:
As can be seen from the textbook, a new kind of exercise (task 2) is
introduced in this reading lesson. It is obvious that students who have never
practiced doing English language tests for external exams will find it difficult to
carry out the task. Hence, removed sentences should contain denoting words,
connectors or repeated words in the preceding sentences to help students
identify their meaning and location in the text easily. Yet, 4 removed sentences
in this task focus more on students’ understanding of the text rather than provide
them with noticeable cues like linking words or repeated ones, which is a
challenge to many students of average proficiency.

17

skkn


b. Suggestions:
With the aim of facilitating students’ learning while the objective of the
lesson is still guaranteed, I would get some other sentences removed from the
passage so that they are more suitable for students of lower proficiency. To
make it more specific, sentences a and b will be replaced by two other
sentences taken from paragraphs 2 and 4. These new sentences containing
repeated words of the preceding sentences (“stress” in paragraph 2 and
“century” in paragraph 4 are repeated in sentence b and a respectively), which
not only enable students to locate them in the passage quickly but also stimulate

their reading comprehension while they are working out for the answers.
Suggestion for task 2:
Read an article about the main factors for the increased life expectancy.
Four sentences have been removed from the article. Choose a sentence (a-d) to
complete each gap (1-4).
a. In the 21st century, scientists continue to look for new ways to treat
serious diseases and slow down the ageing process.
b. A popular way to relieve stress in today’s busy lifestyles is practicing
meditation and yoga.
c. This increase can be attributed to three main factors: healthier lifestyles,
better nutrition, and advances in medical science and technology.
d. Eating more fruits and vegetables, but less fatty foods can reduce the
risk of serious diseases.

Descriptions for adapted activity:
- Work arrangement: group work
- Possible outcomes:
+ students scan the paragraphs and removed sentences to find out their
correlations.
+ students can improve their reading comprehension by put the sentences in the
correct positions in the passage after identifying their meaning basing on some
recognizable cues.
18

skkn


- Answers:
+ Paragraph 1: c

+ Paragraph 2: b

+ Paragraph 3: d

+ Paragraph 4: a

3.2. Sample lesson plans
The following are sample teaching plans that I have used in my teaching
for one group of the respondents. While applying them into teaching, I am
happy to realize that most of the students are much eager to get involved in
carrying out all the activities required.
Sample teaching plan for Unit 6: Global Warming
Reading lesson: Global warming is real
I. Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to
1. Cognition:
- use lexical items related to the topic Global warming
- identify main causes and effects of global warming
2. Skills:
- skim and scan a text for general ideas and specific information
3. Attitude:
- willingly acquire and exercise the tasks
- actively, creatively and cooperatively participate in and fulfill assigned tasks
- build up and develop responsibility for prevent global warming
- be ready to do take actions to do protect the environment
4. Competences:
- communicative competence
- self-control and independent learning
- communication and collaboration
II. Teaching aids:

- textbook, TV, pictures, handouts, zalo (for Ss to send their preparation for the
lesson)
III. Procedures:

19

skkn


1. Activity 1

WARM UP

5 minutes

a. Aim: Visualize what the topic is and provide students
(Ss) with some background knowledge
b. Performance: Work with a partner and guess what
problems are described in the pictures.
c. Outcome:
Ss will have more background knowledge related to the
lesson
d. Organization:
- Ask Ss to look at the pictures on the TV screen and tell the
class what they see in the pictures
- Ask Ss to discuss the questions
- Call on some Ss to give their answers
- Elicit feedback from the whole class
20

skkn


- Give suggested answers:
+ Picture 1: greenhouse gas emission
+ Picture 2: exhaust fumes from vehicles
+ Picture 3: deforestation
2. Activity 2
10 minutes

PRESENTATION
Vocabulary:
a. Aim: check vocabulary to help Ss remember the words/
phrases
b. Content: elicit words/ phrases from prepared ones
c. Outcome:
- Ss remember necessary vocabulary and know some other
words
d. Organization
- Ask Ss to look at task 3 in the textbook, which asks them to
match the words with their meanings
- Ask them to match as required and give Vietnamese
meanings as well
- Show these words and their meanings on TV screen/
blackboard
- Ask Ss to take notes some important words/phrases and
their meanings:
+ catastrophic (adj) /ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk/
+ famine (n) /ˈfæmɪn/
+ capture (v) /ˈkæptʃə(r)/

+ atmosphere (n) /ˈætməsfɪə(r)/
+ absorb (v) /əbˈzɔːb/
+ ecosystem (n) /ˈiːkəʊsɪstəm/
- Play the game: Slap the board to help Ss remember words
and their meanings

21

skkn