Some techniques in improving students’ IELTS general reading skill in doing matching headings into paragraphs task for 11 specilalized high school

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CHUYÊN ĐỀ
Some techniques in improving students’
IELTS General Reading skill in doing matching
headings into paragraphs task for 11th English
major students in Son La Gifted High School.

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TABLE OF CONTENT
I. INTRODUCTION
`

1. Rationale
2. Aim of sudy
3. Scope of study
4. Methods of study
5. Significant of study
6. Results of the reading pre-rest

II. CONTENT
1. Literature review
1.1: Definitions of reading comprehension
2. Introduction into IELTS
3. IELTS reading skills
3.1: Scanning and Skimming
3.1.1: Skimming
3.1.2: Scanning
3.2: Identifying main ideas and details
3.3: Understanding opinion
4. Description of the matching headings into paragraphs task
4.1. How to prepare for this task
4.2. Some suggested techniques to do the IELTS reading matching headings
into paragraphs task
5. Lesson plans
III. CONLUSION
1. Results obtained
2. Suggestions for futher study
IV. REFERENCE

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I. INTRODUCTION
1.

Rationale of the study.
In Vietnam, English has been brought into the school curriculum as a compulsory

subject, and the teaching and learning of that international language has been recently paid
great attention to. When teaching English, the teacher teaches his students not only the
English language but also its usage. Moreover, under the right guidance, right help of the
teacher, the students have to try their best to master 4 language skills: reading, writing,
listening and speaking in order to communicate in English successfully. In Son La Specialized
High School, there are 210 periods in the cirriculum of English subject for English major
students, especially there are 70 thematic periods. It means that students have a lot of time to
practise 4 language skills in class. With the teacher’s guidance, student get used to doing
IELTS test in thematic periods. Futhermore, they have to face with many difficult exerices
taken from IELTS, TOEFL... in some examinations for gifted students. Recognizing the
importance of how to improve students’ reading ability when doing IELTS Reading Tests , I
decide on choosing “ Some techniques in improving students’ IELTS General Reading skill
in doing matching headings into paragraphs task for 11th English major students in Son La
Specialized High School.”
2. Aims of the study
The specific aim of the study is as follows:
- Suggesting useful techniques to improve students’ IELTS General Reading skill, in
partically, matching headings into paragraphs task for 11th English major students in Son La
Specialized High School.”
3.

Scope of the study
Due to the limitation, all the techniques suggested are used in thematic periods for

reading skill. And the object of this study is the 11th English major students at Son La
Specialized High school.
4.

Methods of the study
To implement this study, the following methods are used:

- Consulting related materials: For the sake of getting knowledge and useful

ideas, I read many IELTS books especially about IELTS reading.

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- Trial teaching reading lessons: Teacher teach some lessons based on the
suggested techniques.
5.

Significance of the study.
The findings of the study are believed to be useful for students to improve their

reading skills in doing IELTS reading test.
6. Result of the reading pre-test (without teacher’s guiding)
Excellent

Good

Fair

Weak

Total

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

2

7,7

6

23,0

8

30,8

10

38,5

26

II. CONTENT
1. Literature review
1.1. Definitions of reading comprehension
In teaching reading, it is necessary to understand the nature of reading
comprehension. What the teacher understands about it will have a great influence on what he
or she teaches in the class. He would know what to teacher and how to make his reading
lesson effectively. In fact, methodologists have been providing different definitions of reading
comprehension.
ccording to Grellet (1981: 3): “Reading comprehension or understanding a
written text means extracting the required information from it as efficiently as possible.” The
author means that reading comprehension is an activity which aims at decoding the meaning
of word combination in the text in the most efficient way.
Also concerning the reading comprehension, Richard and Good (1978:9) provide a
clearer point of view:
“Reading comprehension is est descri ed as an understanding etween the author
and the reader. The emphasis is on the reader understanding of the printed page based on the
individual reader’s unique ackground of experience. Reading is much than just pronouncing
words correctly or simply what the author intends. It is the process whereby the printed pages
stimulate ideas, experiences and responses that are unique to an individual”
According to the above authors, reading comprehension is not only simply
understanding what is written, but also is what stimulates students to remember from their

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experiences. That knowledge is then used to get meaning out of printed page, but in the mind
of the readers which included not only facts or details but also emotion, belief and critical
evaluation.
From these opinions, it can be concluded that reading comprehension is a process
of understanding what is conveyed in the text. It does not mean that the reader needs to

understand every single word in the text but actively work on the text and extract the required
information efficiently.

2.INTRODUCTION TO IELTS
IELTS stands for international English Language Testing System. It is a test of
English language skills designed for students who want to study in the medium English either
at university, collegue or sesondary school.
There are two versions of the test: the Academic Module and the General Module.
Students wishing to study at postgraduate or undergraduate level should take the Academic
Module. The General Module is designed for those candidates who plan to undertake training
or secondary school education.
Overview of the test
The test is in four part reflecting four basic language skills:
+ Listening taken by all candidates
+ Reading: Academic or General training
+ Writing: Academic or General training
+ Speaking taken by all candidates
However, in this reaserch I only focus on teaching IELTS reading in General Training
thus I only provide the overview of the IELTS READING TEST.
General

No of

Traing

items

Dissscourse type

Questions types

Target reading
Skills

Reading
60 mins

40

Total of 2,000 – 2,750 Up to 4 per cent
words

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13 – 14

Section 1

Social or transactional +

Social

texts

taken

Survival

everyday

Paragraph + scanning and

from headings

skimming

situations. + Short answers

+ reading for

Up to 3 texts are + Multiple choice

detail

possible.

+Sentence

+ understaning

completion

main ideas

13 – 14
Section 2

Course related texts + Notes/ summary/ + understanding

Course

drawn

Reading

educational or traing table completion

from

an diagram/ flow chart/ opinion

context but focusing +

Maching

attitude

lists/ +

on survival needs of phrases
students.

and

inferring

meaning

+ True/ False/ Not

13 - 14

Given

Section 3

Descriptive

or + Classification

General

narrative

reading

extended prose on a writer’s

text

of + Identification of

topic of geral interest.

views/

claims
+

Yes,

No,

Not

given

3. IELTS READING SKILLS
Because I make a reseach a out how to improve students’ IELTS reading skill in
doing maching headins into paragraphs type. To do well this type students need to have a
good reading skill.
Good reading skills are vital for academic studies. The IELTS exam test students
ability to use a variety of reading skills. It is very important to identify which skills arew
being tested in each question and to apply them appropriately.
The main reading skills tested in IELTS are:
+ Skimming and scanning
+ Understanding main ideas
+ Reading for detail
+ Understaning opinions
3.1: Scanning and skimming
2.1.1. Skimming

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Skimming is commonly used in reading comprehension. It is one of specific reading
techniques necessary for quick and efficient reading. There have been many definitions of
skimming.
Grabe and Stoller (2002:266) state that skimming is a specialized type of reading in

which thereader reads quickly for general understanding of the text and for the gist of
the passage. In line with this, Nutall (1982:34) states that skimming means glancingrapidly
through a text to determine its gist. Further, Brown (2004:213) also definesskimming as the
process of rapid coverage of reading matter to determine its gist or main idea. In other words,
skimming is reading for gist.
In this term, Douglas Brown has the same opinion but it is clearer than that of above
author. He wrote:
“Skimming consists of quickly running eyes across the whole text for its gist.
Skimming gives readers the advantage of being able to predict the purpose of the passage, the
main topic, or massage, or possibly some of the developing or supporting ideas.”
Considering the two opinions, it can be concluded that skimming is a skill that enables
readers to get the main point of the text without being concerned with details. They only go
through the text very fast to get general sense or the gist of it.
In brief, skimming is a very useful study technique to help the learner organize his
thoughts and specify what information he can get from a book, so that his reading is more
efficient. Hence, skimming should be applied in teaching reading to help students have an
overview of what they read.
2.1.2. Scanning
Similar to skimming, scanning is a necessary technique in reading efficiently. Douglas
(2001:308) defines scanning as follows: “Scanning was quickly searching for some particular
piece or pieces of information in a text”
Sharing the same opinion with Douglas Brown, Williams (2001:100) emphasizes:
“Scanning occurs when a reader goes through a text very quickly in order to find a particular
point of information.” It reveals the key to scanning is to decide exactly what kind of
information we are looking for and where to find it.
In addition, Grellet (1981:19) gives a more detailed definition of scanning: “When
scanning, we only try to locate information and often we do not even follow the linearity of

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passage to do so, and scanning is far more limited since it only means retrieving what
information is relevant to our purpose.”
These authors have the same point that while scanning reader does not need to read
form cover to cover, they only look for the information they want by running their eyes
rapidly along the lines. It can be practised with the great range of texts such as dictionaries,
map, advertisements, labels, etc. This kind of reading is very useful in reading selectively.
In general, both skimming and scanning are effective techniques for quick and
efficient reading. It is advisable to make use of them to improve reading comprehension skills
for students in reading classes. They are important skills to use on the IELTS exam. However,
they are used for different goals. Skimming should be used during the IELTS when students
need to quickly read for just main idea of a text, without thinking about specificdetails. It
involves selective reading of the most important parts of thetext to find out how the text is
organized and get general idea of what the text is about. Scannning should be used when you
need to read to find specific pieces of information such as names, dates and facts. Skimming
and scanning are called “ ena ling skills”. This means that they will help students tackle most
questions in the IELTS reading test, including for example: multiple choice questions,
completing a table, maching opinions and phrases, labelling a diagram.
3.2: Identifying main ieads and details.
Text are divided into paragraphs to make them easier to read. A text is usually
organized in the following way:
+ Introduction: theme, statement and objective
+ Paragraph 2: topic, supporting point or details
+ Paragraph 3: topic, supporting point or details
+ Conclusion: summary and restatement of main iead
In the introduction, the writer usually outlines what he or she is going to write about
and the main issues to be raised. Each paragraph usually deals with one key issue, which is
stated in a topic sentence and possibly summarized in the last sentence of the paragraph.
Supporting details are used to develop and explain the main idea of the paragraph. In the
IELTS reading test, students’ understanding of main idea will

e showed

y matching

headings into paragraphs in a text, in contrast students’ understanding of main idea may e

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tested in sentence completion, short answer questions, multiple choice or summary
completion exercises.
3.3: Understanding Opinion
An opinion is a personal belief which may or may not true. It is different from a fact,
which is a statement known to be true or based on generally accepted evidence. In texts,
opinions are usually introduced by phrases such as:
+ Professor Jones argues that...
+ Several experts claim that...
+ It is a commonly held belief that...
+ In Harriet’s view, ...
+ Many scientists suspect that...
Facts, on the other hand, might be introduced by phrases such as:
+ According to the latest statistics, ...
+ Scientists have discovered that...
+ Research findings confirm that...
+ As has been frequently demonstrated,...
When answering questions related to the writer’s opinion, candidates should e careful
not to allow their own opinions to interfere with their choice of answer. As IELTS passages
are acadenic texts, they usually contain arguments and opinions. Sometimes, a passage
presents the writer’s opinion on a su ject; sometimes a passage presents the wrtiter’s view

and other experts. A number of different questions may test how well candidates can identify
opinions including, for example, matching questions, multiple choice questions and Yes, No,
Not given questions.
4. Description of the matching headings into paragraphs task
In this task type, which often appears in the exam, candidates are given a text with 5 to
7 paragraph headings missing. They must select the right paragraph headings from a list.

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Depending on the length and difficulty of the text and the number of paragraph headings, they
will have between 5 and 8 minutes to do this task. There are always more paragraph headings
than paragraphs, so they won't need to use all of the paragraph headings that are given. There
will always also be some other different reading tasks for detailed understanding to do with
the same text.
4.1. How to prepare for this task
As this task tests candidates’ ability to read a text quickly and get a general
understanding of it, they will need to practice reading newspapers etc. quickly and naturally
without a dictionary. Most native speakers do not read every newspaper article through to the
end, as all the important and new information is usually given at the beginning of the article.
Reading a newspaper or magazine this natural way can help with this IELTS task and save
their time and effort.
Every time students do this task in their textbook or as part of a real IELTS exam
reading, make sure that they know how to manage their time and keep to the time limit. After
they have finished all the tasks for the text they can then go back and read more slowly and
use their dictionary if they like.
Planning all their writing in English (and even in your their language) carefully before
they start writing and deciding a clear topic for each paragraph or section can also help them
understand how texts are organised in this way.
4.2. Some suggested techniques to do the IELTS reading matching headings into

paragraphs task
+ Read through all the paragraph headings first to familiarise with them .
+ Start reading the first paragraph quickly. Underline the most important information in
the paragraph as reading, especially things that seem to match one of the paragraph
headings.
+ Re-read paragraph A and the example heading.
+ Re-read paragraph B and select the heading that best fits this paragraph. If you think
there is more than one, mark them both and come back to this paragraph later.
+ Repeat this procedure with the rest of the paragraphs.

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5. Lesson plan
5.1 TOPIC 1: Energy from Biological Sources
Class: 11 English
Time: 45 minutes
Main reading skill: Identifying main ideas
Reading level: IELTS READING TEST (GENERAL MODULE)
Specific objectives: At the end of the lesson Ss will be able to do the task with the highest
correct answers.
Prior Knowledge: students know about sources of natural and alternative energy through unit
10 in English 11 advanced textbook.
Teaching aids:
- Reading text
- Handouts
- Pictures about sources of energy
Procedure:
Teacher’s activities

Students’ activities

I. Pre-reading (5 mins)
*) Matching pictures with sources of
energy:

-Tell Ss to look at the pictures about wind,

-Listen to the teacher’s guide carefully then

coal, soalar energy, oil, bio gas..... and match

answers

them with words or phrases for the sources of

-Give answers

energy.
-Check with the whole class.
-Ask Ss which source of energy they use for
home cooking and heating and the reason
why.
II. While-reading (35 mins)
- Deliver handouts for students (SEE

-Listen to the teacher’s guide carefully

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APPENDIX)
- Guide students how to do the task.
+ Read through all the paragraph

- Take note.

headings first to familiarise with them .
+ Start reading the first paragraph
quickly. Underline the most important
information in the paragraph as reading,
especially things that seem to match one
of the paragraph headings.
+ Re-read paragraph A and the example
heading.
+ Re-read paragraph B and select the
heading that best fits this paragraph. If
you think there is more than one, mark
them both and come back to this
paragraph later.
+ Repeat this procedure with the rest of
the paragraphs.
- Ask students to do the task in 20 minutes
individually

-Do the task individually

- Ask them to exchange answers with their
partners

- Exchange answers with partners

- Ask students to read out their answers
- Provide correct answers and give feedback.
KEYS:
1. Paragragh B: vii

-Read out their answers
-Check correct answers

2. Paragraph C: i
3. Paragragh D: v
4. Paragragh E: iv
5. Paragragh F: vi
6. Paragragh G: ii
7. Paragragh H: viii

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8. Paragragh I: x
III. Post-reading (5 mins)
- Ask students to work in pairs.
- Give them a copy of some paragraphs and

-Work in pair and do the task as guided

then ask them to think of a suitable title for
each paragraph.
- heck students’ answers and give feed ack.

- Give answers

*) APPENDIX
HANDOUT:
The following reading passage has nine paragraphs A – I. Choose the most suitable
headings for paragraphs B – I from the list of headings below.
NB: There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them. You may
use any of the headings more than one.
Energy from Biological Sources
A.

Radiation from the sun is the earth’s primary source of energy.

ore than 99 per cent

of the processes that are happening on earth are energized by the sun either directly or
indirectly. As solar radiation is a permanent and renewable source of energy , why, then, do
we have an “ energy crisis?” The pro lem, of course, lies in how to utilizethis energy. It is
diffuse and intermittent on a daily and seasonal basis, thus collection and storage costs can be
high. But we already have at our disposal a means of capturing and storing a proportion of
this energy, and we have always had such a means. It is plant life – the “ iomass”. The
process involved is photosynthesis.
B.

This capture of solar energy and conversion into a stored product occurs, with only a

low overall efficiency of about 0,1 per cent on a world-wide basis but because of the
adaptablity of plants, it takes place and can be used over most of the earth.
C.

We should remember two things about this energy source. First, the world’s present

and precarious dependence on fossil fuels – first coal , then oil – is only about two hundred
years old. Before that, most of the energy required by human beings for heating , coooking,
and industrial purpose was supplied from biological sources. By this, we mean mainly wood,
or its derivative, charcoal. Secondly, wood still accounts for one sixth of the world’s fuels
supply. In the non-OPE

developing counties, which contain 40 per cent of the world’s

population, non-commercial fuel often comprises up to 90 per cent of their total energy use.

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With the increasingly doubtful future of fossil fuel supplies fuel from biological sources may
have to become even more important.
D.

Traditional fuels of biological origin include wood, charcoal, agricultural residues

such as straw and dried animal dung. With the growth in the world population, there has been
increasing pressureon these resources, leading to what is sometimes called the “second energy
crisis”. This is more drastic for mandkind than the “first”, or oil crisis. It takes the form of
deforestation, with loss of green cover in hot lands, leading to desiccation and the loss of
fertile land to desert.
E.

The threat from both energy cries can be partly met by utilizing the enormous supply

of energy built up annually in green plants. The question is, how should this be done? In the
past, photosynthesis has given us food, fuel wood, fibre and chemicals. It has also, ultimately,
given us the fossil fuels – coal, oil, and natural gas, but these are not renewable while the
other products are. Recently, however, with abundant oil, the products of present-day
photosynthesis are mainly evident to the developed world as food. We should re-examine and,
if possible, re-employ the previous systems; but, with today’s increased population and
standard of living, we cannot revert to technology and must instead developnew means of
using present-day photosynthesis systems more efficiently.
F.

Fortunately for us, plants are very adaptable anf exist in great diversity – they could

thus continue indefintely to supply us with renewable quantities of food, fibre, fuel and
chemicals. If the impending fuel problem which is predicted within the next ten to fifteen
years comes about, we may turn to plant products sooner than we expect. Let us be prepared.
G.

Some basic research can be done centrally, without reference to the conditions in any

one country. For example, all plant energy storage depends utimately on the process of
photosysthensis. Experiments are being made to see whether this process can either be
speeded up, or even reproduced artificially, in order to produce a higher efficiency in energy
extraction. Most research should be done locally, however, because of the climatic and
vegetation differences, and also because of the difference in the needs and emphasis in
varying countries. Such reseach and development is an excellent opportunity to encourage
local scientists, engineers and administrators in one field of energy supply. Even if biomass
systems do not become significant suppliers of energy in a specific country in the future, the
spin-off in terms of benerfits to agriculture, forestry, land use patterns and bioconversion
technology is certain to be valuable.

H.

What are the methods currently in use or under trail for deriving energy from

biomass? The first is the traditional use outlined in paragraph C, which may be termed the

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“non-commercial” use of iomass energy. The second also has a long traditional history: the
use of wood-fuel under boilers to generate steam. This has now been revised on an intensive
scale. In a study from the Philipines, it has been estimated that a 9,100 hectare fuel wood
plantation “ would supply the needs of a 75 megawatt steam power station if it were not more
than fifty kilometres distant.” Such a plantation would use a species of fast - growing tree –
leucaena leucocephala, or the giant “ipil-ipil”. The investment requirements and cost of power
produced looks favourable and competitive with oil-fired power stations of similar capacity.
In addition, residues from cropland after harvest and from sawmills could be used as steamproducing fuel. The steam could then be used to generate electricity.
I.

There are also bioconversion processes to produce liquid fuels such as oil and alcoho.

Some fuel oils can be pressed directly from certain crops. Alcohos, on the other hand, can be
produced by converting plant material by fermentation. Ethanol (ethyl alcoho) can be
extracted from growing plants such as sugar cane, from waste plant material, or from whole
grain. Methanol (methyl alcoho)

can be produced from coal, wood, sewage, and various

waste products. These alcohos have several industrial uses and can also be used as fuels in the
internal combustion engines of vehicles. Technology is already advanced, and the main

problem is devising ways of collecting enough organic material to make the installations
commercially viable. Some crops can be grown specifically for this purpose. In other cases,
the installations can make use of the residue, or “trash” produced in the large-scale plantation
farming of such crops as sugar cane an pineapple. Another fuel product produced by a
fermentation process is fuel gas of various kinds, including a biogas called mehane. Several of
these processes can be applied to household or municipal wastes anf refuse – a large and
concentrated source in all big towns and cities.
*) HEADINGS
i. Fuels from biological sources
ii. Research and development into biomass systems
iii. Solar energy and its utilization
iv. The energy crisis and photosynthesis systems
v. The second energy crisis
vi. Plant power.
vii. Efficiency of the solar conversion process
viii. Tree biomass
ix. Other forms of renewable energy

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x. Liquid and gaseous fuels from biomass
Example: Paragragh A. iii
1. Paragragh B
2. Paragraph C
3. Paragragh D
4. Paragragh E
5. Paragragh F
6. Paragragh G
7. Paragragh H

8. Paragragh I
5.2: TOPIC 2: Children’s Literature
Class: 11 English
Time: 45 minutes
Main reading skill: Identifying main ideas
Reading level: IELTS READING TEST (GENERAL MODULE)
Specific objectives: At the end of the lesson Ss will be able to do the task with the highest
correct answers.
Prior Knowledge: students don’t know much a out this topic.
Teaching aids:
- Reading text
- Handouts
Procedure
Teacher’s activities

Students’ activities

I. Pre-reading (5 mins)
-Ask students to work in pairs and discuss

-Work in pairs to discuss about the

about the books/ stories they like reading

books/stories they like reading

most.
-Call some students to present their ideas

-Present ideas

- Give comments
II. While-reading (35 mins)

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-Deliver handouts for students (SEE
APPENDIX)
- Guide students how to do the task.

-Listen to the teacher’s guide

- Do paragraph A as a model for students

-Take note

+ Step 1: Read paragraph A carefully and
identify the main topic.
+ Step 2: Look at each option and decide
whether it matches the main topic of the
paragraph. Suggest some questions for
students to answer thw question easily.
Questions i – x refer to the corresponding
options i – x.
i. Is the paragraph mainly about what the
writers of children’s ooks
believe?
ii. Does the paragraph focus on what
certain adults think of children’s

literature?
iii. Does the paragraph mainly talk about
what features of children’s
literature make it attractive?
iv. Does the paragraph focus on a
difference between two things?
v. Is the paragraph mainly about
someting that people incorrectly
elieve a out children’s literature?
vi. Does the paragraph focus on what
people normally say about
children’s literature?
vii. Does the paragraph mainly compare
different features of children’s
literature?
viii.

Is the paragraph mainly about what

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causes a book to be classified as
children’s literature?
ix. Is the paragraph mainly about the way
various subjects are dealt with in
children’s literature?
x. Does the paragraph focus on a
different view of children’s
literature from one already

mentioned?
+ Step 3: When students have chosen their
answers for paragraph A, check that it is
correct by answering this question: which

-Do the task as guided

word in the heading you have chosen means
the same as “ standard” in paragraph ?

-Compare answers with partners

+ Do the same steps with the rest of questions. -Read out answers
- Let students do the task in 20 minutes

-Check correct answers

individually
- Have them compare answers with partners
- Ask students to read out their answers
- Provide correct answers and give feedback.
KEYS:
1. Paragraph A: vi
2. Paragraph B: x
3. Paragraph C: iii
4. Paragraph D: viii
5. Paragraph E: i
6. Paragraph F: iv
7. Paragraph G: ix
III. Post-reading(5 mins)

- Summarise what students have learnt in the
period.
- Ask them to share whether they have any

-Sharing their difficulties

difficulties when doing the task.
*) APPENDIX

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HANDOUT: CHILDREN LITERATURE
The following reading passage has seven paragraphs A – G. Choose the most suitable
headings for paragraphs B – G from the list of headings below.
NB: There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them. You may
use any of the headings more than one.
List of Headings
i. Optimistic eliefs held y the writers of children’s literature
ii. The attitudes of certain adults towards children’s literature
iii. The attraction of children’s literature
iv. A contrast that categorises a book as children’s literature
v.

false assumption made a out children’s literature

vi. The conventional view of children’s literature
vii. Some good and ad features of children’s literature
lassifying a ook as children’s literature

viii.

ix. The treatment of various themes in children’s literature
x.

nother way of looking at children’s literature

8. Paragraph A
9. Paragraph B
10. Paragraph C
11. Paragraph D
12. Paragraph E
13. Paragraph F
14. Paragraph G
A.

I am somtimes asked why anyone who is not a teacher or a librarian or the parents of

little kids should concern herself with children’s ooks and folklore. I know the standard
answers: that many famous writers have written for children, and that the great children’s
books are also great literature; that these books and tales are an important source of archtpye
and symbol, and that they can help us to understand the structure and functions of the novel.
B.

ll this is true. But I think we should also take children’s literature seriously ecause

it is sometimes subversive: because its values are not always those of the conventional adult
world. Of course, in a sense much great literature is subversive, since its very existence
implies that what matters is art, imagination and truth. In what we call the real world, what
usually counts is money, power and public success.

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C.

The great su versive works of children’s literature suggest that there are other view of

human life besides those of the shopping mall and the corporation. They mock current
assumptions and express the imaginative, unconventional, noncommercial view of the
worldin its simplest and purest form. They appeal to the imaginative, questioning, rebellious
child within all of us, renew our instinctive energy, and act as a force for change. This is why
such literature is worthy of our attention and will endure long after more conventional tales
have been forgotten.
D.

An interesting question is what – besides attention – makes a particular story a “

children

ook”? With the exception of picture

ooks for todders, these works are not

necessarily shorter or simpler than so-called adult fiction, and they are surely not less well
written. The heroes and heroines of these tales, it is true, are often children: but then so are the
protagonists of Henry James’s What Maisie Knew and Toni

orrison’s The Bluest Eye. Yet

the arrier etween children’s ooka and adult fictionremains; editors, critics and readers
seem to have little trouble in assigning a given work to one category or the other.
E.

In classic children’s fiction a pastoral convention is maintained. It is assumed that the

world of childhood is simpler and more natural than that of adults, and that children, though
they may have faults, are essentitally good or at least capable of becoming so. The
transformation of selfish, whiny, disagreeable Mary and hysterical, demanding Colin in
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Gadern is a paradigm. Of course, there are often
unpleasant minor juvenile characters who give the protagonist a lot of trouble and are
defeated or evaded rather than reeducated. Nut on occasion even the angry bully and the lying
sneak can e reformed and forgiven. Richard Hughes’s A High Wind in Jamaica, though
most of its characters are children, never appears on lists of recommended juvenile fiction; not
so much because of the elaborations of its diction ( which is no more complex than that of,
say, Treasure Island), but because in it children are irretrievably damaged and corrupted.
F.

dults in most children’s

ooks, on the other hand, are usually stuck with their

characters and incapable of alteration or growth. If they are really unpleasant, the only thing
that can rescue them is the natural goodness of a child. Here again, Mrs. Burnett provides the
slassic example, in Little Lord Faunleroy, (Scrooge’s somewhat similar change of heart in
Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, however, is due mainly to regret for his past and terror of the
future. This is one of the things that makes the book a family rather than a juvenile romance;
another is the helpness passivity of the principal child charater, Tiny Tim.).
G.

Of the three principal preoccupations of adult fiction – sex, money and death – the

first is a sent from classic children’s literature and the other two either a sent or much muted.

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oney is a motive in children’s literature, in the sense that many stories deal with a search for
treasure of some sort. These quests, unlike real-life ones, are almost always sucessful, though
occasionally what is found in the end is some form of family happiness, which is declared by
the author and the characters to e a “ real treasure”. Simple economic survival, however, is
almost never the problem; what is sought, rather, is a magical (sometimes literally magical )
surplus of wealt. Death, which was a common theme in nineteenth-century fiction for
children, was almost banished during the first half of the twentieth century. Since then it has
egun to reappear; the reakthough ook was E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. Today not only
animals but people die, notably in the sort of books that get awards and are recommended by
librarians and psychologists for children who have lost

a relative. But even today the

characters who die tend to be of another generation; the protagonist and his or her friends
survive. Though there are some interesting exceptions, even the most subversive of
contemporary children’s ooks usually follow these conventions. They portray an ideal world
of perfectible beings, free of the necessity for suvival.
III. CONCLUSION
1.Results obtained
The teaching and learning of reading comprehension has become more and more
important in secondary schools. Teachers of English are, therefore, trying their best to find
more useful techniques to help the students develop their reading skills. This study is
conducted to find effective techniques in improving students’ IELTS reading skills for 11th

English major students in Son La Specialized High school.
The thesis has presented some useful techniques accompanied by some lessons to
improve students’ IELTS reading skill . Students can skim for the gist, and then scan to locate
for specific information. For each technique, the teachers may ask students to find topic
sentences when skimming, guess meaning of unfamiliar words in context for further
understandings. Below are some resulted.
*) Results after the 1st lesson
Excellent

Good

Fair

Weak

Total

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

3

11,5

12

46,2

6

23,1

5

19,2

26

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*) Results after the 2nd lesson
Excellent

Good

Fair

Weak

Total

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

6

23,1

15

57,7

3

11,5

2

7,7

26

*) Comparision of the results of the reading test
Category

Reading pre-test

Number

%

Results after the 1st

Results after the 2nd

lesson

lesson

Number

%

Number

%

Excellent

2

7,7

3

11,5

6

23,1

Good

6

23,0

12

46,2

15

57,7

Fair

8

30,8

6

23,1

3

11,5

Weak

10

38,5

5

19,2

2

7,7

ccording to the figures in the ta le a ove, we can see that students’ skill in doing
maching headings into paragraph task is improved steadily after following somes guidances
of teacher. The number of students has excellent result increasing by 23,1 per cent, whereas
the number of students has weak result decreasing by 7,7 per cent. In conclusion, from what
have been presented, the thesis is hoped to be useful and referred to by secondary school
teachers for IELTS reading activities in their reading lessons.
2.Suggestion for further study.
Due to the shortage of time and the lack of practical experience, all the issues of the
teaching process cannot be covered as a whole. It is expected that the further studies will be
the continuance for this one, which suggest techniques to the remained stages, the prereading and the post- reading stage. The quality of teaching and learning IELTS reading skills

22


as a result can be step by step improved. Furthermore, mistakes are also inevitable in the
thesis because of the limitation of time, references and ability. Comments and
recommendations would be highly appreciated to better the thesis both in content and in the
form.

RFERENCES
Brown, Douglas. 2004. Language Assessment Principles and Classroom Practices. New
York: Pearson Education Ltd

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Brown, Douglas. 2001. Teaching by Principles An Interactive Approach to Language
Predagory. New York: Longman
Grabe, W. and F. L. Stoller. 2002. Teaching and Researching Reading . Harlow: Longman
Grellet, F. 1981.Developing Reading Skills: A Practical Guide to Reading Comprehension

Exercises. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
IELTS TM 2009 – 2010 Edition, Kaplan Publishing
Mark, Harrison and Russell, Whitehead . 2005. IELTS Practice Test Exam Essentital.
Cengage Learning, Inc
Nuttal, C. 1982. Teaching Reading Skills in Foreign Language. Oxford:HeinamnInternational
Publishing Company
Vanessa, Jakeman and Clare, MC Dowell. 2005. IELTS Practice Test Plus. Longman Pearson

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