READING

OVERVIEW
The teaching of reading skills :
focuses on basic literacy with the use of phonics in Years 1
and 2;
begins at the word and phrase levels before progressing to
sentence recognition and reading at the paragraph level;
teaches pupils to extract specific information from a text and
to respond to a text with their own ideas and opinions; and
enables pupils to become independent readers who are able
to comprehend a text effectively and efficiently.

By the end of primary schooling, pupils should be

able to:
2.2 demonstrate understanding
of a variety of linear and
non-linear texts in the form
of print and non-print
materials using a range of
strategies to construct
meaning.

2.3

read independently for

information and
enjoyment

read fiction and non-fiction

texts with guidance.

applying word attack skills.

read and understand
phrases
and sentences.
read and demonstrate
understanding of texts.
apply dictionary skills.

The learning standards begin with basic

literacy which has been developed
incrementally in this manner :
distinguish the shapes of the letters;
recognise and articulate phonemes;
blend and segment words;
apply word recognition and word attack
skills to acquire vocabulary;
read and understand phrases, simple
sentences and texts; and
read independently for information and
enjoyment.
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Teachers should also carry out shared reading

strategies in the classroom:
During shared reading, teacher and pupils
read together, thus allowing pupils to
actively participate and support one
another
in the process of reading.
Teachers point to the text as they read
slowly for word recognition and to build a
sense of story.
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Ultimately, the objective of getting pupils to

read a variety of texts enables pupils to see how
grammar is used correctly in order to emulate
them in their productive skills; speaking and
writing. Pupils should also be made to realise
that reading inculcates enjoyment and pleasure
in seeking information and knowledge. After
which, pupils are trained to give their own ideas
and opinions in order to become efficient
readers.

CONTENT AND LEARNING STANDARDS

CONTENT STANDARDS
2.2 By the end of the 6-year
primary
schooling, pupils will be
able to
demonstrate understanding of a
variety of linear and non-linear
texts in the form of print and
non-print materials using a
range of strategies to construct
meaning.

LEARNING STANDARDS
2.2.1 Able to apply word attack
skills by
identifying:
(a) homographs
(b) homophones
2.2.2 Able
phrases
and
(a)
(b)

to read and understand

sentences from:
linear texts
non-linear texts

2.2.3 Able to read and

demonstrate
understanding of texts by:
(a) sequencing
(b) predicting with
guidance
2.2.4 Able to apply7 dictionary

CONTENT AND LEARNING STANDARDS

CONTENT STANDARDS
2.3 By the end of the 6-year
primary
schooling, pupils will be
able to
read independently for
information and enjoyment.

LEARNING STANDARDS
2.3.1 Able to read for information
and
enjoyment with guidance:
(a) fiction
(b) non-fiction

ACTIVITY 1
Say these words:
scale

bow

tear

row

What are these words categorised as?

They are words that have the same

spelling but different meaning.

They may or may not sound alike.

They are called:

Homographs
Homophones
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ACTIVITY 2
Say these words:
see

blue

sea

blew

meet

pair

meat

pear

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What are these words categorised as?

They are words that sound alike.

They have different meanings and

different spelling.

They are called:

Homographs

Homophones

Can you name the learning standard?

2.2.1 Able to apply word attack skills
by
identifying:
(a) homographs
(b) homophones

www.sie.arizona.edu/sysengr/laugh/homograph.html

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ACTIVITY 3
It was a blazing
summers day. My
surroundings were
slowly starting to
melt: the trees, the
houses, the sky
and the pathway to
my garage. It
seemed that I was
about to melt too,
becoming a puddle
of glue-like

What are these

texts called?

My most favorite place has

always been my
grandparents house. This
is the place I would have to
go to before and after
school. I have always loved
my grandparents house
because it made me feel
safe and warm. There was
a smell of coffee in the air
at all times. It seemed like
all my grandmother did was
make coffee. If I smell
coffee, I instantly think of
my grandparents house.
My grandparents house
was always filled with
people

The tiger runs.

The fish swims.
The monkey climbs.
The kangaroo hops.
The snake glides.
The bird flies.
The frog jumps.
Boys and girls can walk,
run, jump, hop and swim.

1. Begin with a piece of

card.
2. Fold the paper in half.
3. Draw a line from the
folded edge of the
paper to the centre.
4. Fold back the top flap
to form a triangle.
5. And then crease with
your thumb or finger.
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ACTIVITY 4

Dear Diary,
Teacher said:
naughty ..
pulled Lailas long braid
Teacher punished me.

What are these

texts called?
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Types of linear and non-linear text

Linear Texts

Non-linear Texts

NARRATIVE / STORY
LETTER
DIALOGUE
TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
NEWS / REPORT
FACTUAL
BOOK REPORT
SPEECH

TABLE
PLAN / MAP
PICTURE
GRAPH / BAR
PIE CHART
TIME TABLE
DUTY ROSTER
ADVERTISEMENT
FORM
ANNOUNCEMENT
TV PROGRAMME
MENU / RECIPE
PROCESS / METHOD
NOTICE
LABEL
LIST

Can you name the learning standard?

2.2.2 Able to read and understand phrases and
sentences from:
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(a) linear texts

SAMPLE READING
TEXT - In Danger of
Extinction
(with Higher Order Thinking
Elements [HOTS] incorporated into
comprehension questions)
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In Danger of Extinction
A species is the name for a group of animals that
are alike, such as lions and tigers. If a species is
endangered it means there are very few of those
animals left in the world. If all the animals in a
species die, the species becomes extinct. Those
animals are gone forever. Many species are
protected.
A
protected
species
means
governments have made laws against killing the
animals. The koala is close to being an
endangered species.
Interestingly, the koala is partly to blame for its
decline. Koalas are too stubborn for their own
good! When you were younger, were you a picky
eater? Did your parents have to force you to eat
things that were good for you? Hopefully you
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listened to what they taught you and
ate your

In Danger of Extinction
Since there are over 600 different types of
eucalyptus trees, the koala should have no
trouble finding food. But koalas are picky! They
only want certain gum tree leaves to eat. Out of
the 600 varieties of trees, koalas will only eat the
leaves of about 120 kinds of gum tree. Some are
even pickier than that. The koalas of a specific
area will only eat about four or five kinds of gum
leaves.

They would rather starve than eat the other

kinds. Now thats stubborn! The biggest problem
for koalas now is that the brush land in Australia
is being cut down. Towns and cities are pushing
farther into the brush. Since many18 koalas live

Answer the following questions based

on
the reading passage.

1)What does it mean when an animal is extinct?

______________________________________________
2) Imagine if you were like a koala and ate only one
kind of food. What kind of food would it be?
(HOTS : Applying)
______________________________________________
3) What is another name for many gum trees?
______________________________________________
4) Why do you think the koala is so picky? (HOTS :
Analysing)
_______________________________________________
5) What would you tell people to get them to stop
cutting down the brush land where koalas live?
19 (HOTS :
Why do you think the koala is so picky?

ACTIVITY 5
Look for these words in the dictionary:

around

booth

sound

How to locate words in the dictionary:

a. Get pupils to look up the first two letters of the word at the
top left hand and right hand corner of the page; for eg. for
the word alien, look for al.
b. After you have identified the first two letters and if there
are more than one page with the same letters, look for the
next letter. For the word alien; you need to look for ali.
c. After finding, ali then scan the page and identify the word.
d. The word on the top left hand or right hand corner is called
the entry point. The word that you have been looking for
is called the exit point.
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Can you name the

learning standard?
2.2.4 Able to apply
dictionary skills:
(a) locate words,
(b) meaning of base
word.

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