Returning an exam or any test at school should be a vital learning situation. Learning from mistakes is best if the students tell each other how they realized what they are doing wrong and what they need to do next.
This article is continuation to the previous article and I strongly recommend a student-centred way of returning the marked reading comprehension tests to the students. There are four reasons for doing it this way:
- The student will learn how and why they missed the right answer. And they are given the time and a chance to voice their ideas in peace.
- The students realize how the others solved the problems they faced while doing the test.
- Many students close their ears when the teacher’s explanations go on and on.
- The group leaders are finally rewarded for their social skills and it enhances their self-esteem.
My recommendations for the lesson
- Divide the class into groups of 3 – 4 and make a good student responsible for the discussion in each group. However, warn these leaders not to lecture about the correct answers but give the answers only if the group cannot find them.
- Neither should the leaders show the answer sheet to the others. If they do immature students will simply copy the answers and the whole learning situation is spoilt.
- Giving the star students this task will enhance their social skills and they will not get bored and besides, we learn best when we teach others.
- Give the students the handout with my tips on the strategies to be used in reading texts. The ones mentioned in the previous article. Let the groups discuss the ideas for a few minutes.
- Return the exam papers to the students. Let the group members go through the exam quickly by just looking at their own exams. What went wrong and why? What was the logic like they followed? What did they succeed in? Which strategies would have been useful?
- Now the group will go through the whole exam and the leader will make questions, ask for justifications and encourage the others to think aloud why they missed the point. This process of discussion is actually more important than giving the correct answers.
- You may consider whether you are going to give the ‘correct’ answers to the group leaders just like they are below or a simplified version of them without the justification lines. A hard-working group may be rewarded with the answers after the whole lesson so that they can study the exam in peace and quiet at home.
- If it is absolutely necessary, the discussion may take place in the mother tongue. It makes no sense to go through the answers in English if the proficiency level of the students is not high enough.
- Finally answer any questions the students may still have and give feedback of the work of the groups. Praise the groups that worked well and speak in general terms of the problems you observed. The students will know if you are talking about their group.
- The very last thing: Ask for feedback, the students’ opinion of the project, the lessons spent on the strategies. Useful or not? What their liked and disliked? What could be done differently and how?
Suggested answers for the reading comprehension test
Making a Difference in Tanzania
Up to 113 million children worldwide do not have access to school books. What a waste it is that old school text books are binned or pulped. Books written in Arabic will, of course, be
of no use in most of Africa but
English is an official language in Tanzania, for example. Moreover, all secondary education is done in English there and children are taught following the old British O- and A-Level curricula. Due to the way syllabi in Tanzania mirror the old English system, second-hand course books are perfect to help bridge the gap between rich and poor nations.
Words to be guessed; access = a chance to get, to bin = throw to rubbish bin, to pulp = turn to paper, recycle, curricula/syllabi = official school plans
The title of the article suggests that a problem is being solved. It implies a change.
The topic of the article, the main idea, is given in the very first sentence.
The photograph has a white person in the middle which forebodes him as the person who solved the issue in this primitive-looking school.
The predictions concerning the content of the article are connected to school life.
The thesis statement,(main argument) is given at the end of the 1st paragraph.
1. In Tanzania there are 113 million children without school books. F, because 113 is a worldwide figure
2. In Tanzania all education starting from the first school years is done in English. F, English is used from secondary school onwards
3. The curricula in Tanzania follow the old English model to a great extent. T, British O- and A-level traditions are followed
In Tanzania educational resources are scarce but children have the will to learn. An organisation based in Liverpool is working hard to see that school text books and other equipment are collected and re-distributed. The Tanzanian Book Appeal would be nothing without the help and support of schools, many of which have been involved in fundraising activities as well as donating old books. John, one of the students involved in the project, says that before the fundraising he didn’t really know or even care about Tanzania. Now he understands that Tanzania is the fourth poorest country in the world, and that there may be up to 40 pupils sharing one text book.
Rare words to be ‘guessed’: resources = equipment and money, scare = seldom seen, redistribute = spread out again to people, donate = give out free
The topic sentence of paragraph 2 is the very first sentence.
Why should someone take all the trouble? >>The children do not have enough books to learn new things.
The rest of the text explains what has been done and why.
The 2nd paragraph title could be: School involvement
The last sentence wraps up the idea of the 1st sentence: Tanzania is really poor.
4. In Tanzania there is not a lot of money to organize teaching. T, Tanzania has scare resources = no funds = not much money
5. An organization in Liverpool gathers secondhand school books and forwards them to Tanzania. T, the organization is ‘Tanzanian Book Appeal’ and the students and schools only help them
The whole procedure is planned in detail and even the Tanzanian officials are involved. (This topic sentence is added here to make the text more coherent.) Once the books have been donated they are collected in a truck and taken to a holding warehouse – which was donated by a local business – sorted through and stored. They will be packed up and shipped off to Tanzania in a big container.
The students who have worked on the project will then fly out to meet the books over there. The government in Tanzania have loaned government vehicles to sort out the distribution. The group of English students and teachers will then tour the schools in the Kagera region near Lake Victoria.
The original text has no topic sentence in Paragraph 3.
The whole text is a chronological account of the book handling procedure, explaining how the project was carried out.
Paragraph 3 could be titled as Practical actions taken.
If you get a feeling that the ending is missing you are right. The original text is much longer.
No hard words in this paragraph.
6. The aid organization does not need the help of school children in its work. F, the organization needs the children in fund raising, with donations and even in Tanzania
7. In Tanzania there may be as many as 40 pupils in one classroom. F, the class size is not even mentioned and might even be bigger, 40 refers to the number of students who have to share a book
B Answer the multiple choice questions
8. What happens to the school books once they leave the donating schools?
- a) They remain in an old lorry until a storage warehouse is found.
- b) They are sent to Tanzania in small units with goods from local businesses.
- c) The books that have been given away are taken into storage and sorted. OK, the books are sorted out before they are placed in a container in Britain
9. What happens to the books when they reach Tanzania?
- a) A group of students from England will go and distribute the books in Tanzania. OK, they fly over but there are some teachers involved too
- b) The school have to pay for the transportation of the books.
- c) The British students travel on the trucks to the schools.
C 1 Why are British secondhand school books ideal for Tanzanian schools? (Give 2 reasons and answer in your own words in a full sentence or two.)
The language of secondary schools is English so they also need English books. The subjects and everything else is pretty much the way it is in Britain.
2 What do you think about the procedures of getting the books to schools after they have arrived in Tanzania? (Mention 2 opinions and why you think so.)
It shows that the project is taken seriously since even the school authorities and the government are involved. They want to secure the safe arrival of the books in their destinations so that they do not end up in the black market, for example.