Content: Trainer's Notes: Reading
Content: Trainer's Notes: Reading
Content: Trainer's Notes: Reading
CONTENT
SO WHATS NEW?
PAGE
2
35
67
9 12
13 14
MOTHERS CHOICE
15 16
THE POINT IS
OF FORGOTTEN TREASURES
17
18 20
A OR C?
21
IN OTHER WORDS
22
23
PACKING IT ALL
24
REFLECTION GRID
25 26
SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS
27 31
800/3
PAGE 1
SO WHATS NEW?
TASK: 1
TIME: 5 minutes
AIMS:
To introduce and familiarise CPs to the changes in the Reading Component 800/3.
To prepare CPs for the task ahead namely to teach reading.
ORGANISATION: Pair work
PROCEDURE
Ask CPs to identify the changes in the Reading Component 800/3
TASK SHEET: 1
Identify the changes in the Reading Component 800/3
No.
Description
Item
Old
New
1.
Weighting
45%
40%
2.
Duration
120 minutes
90 minutes
3.
Number of texts
4.
5.
Genres
6.
Rhetorical style
Analytical, descriptive,
persuasive, argumentative,
narrative
Analytical, descriptive,
persuasive, argumentative,
narrative
7.
Number of questions
50
45
Question types
8.
ANSWER KEY
Weighting, Duration, No of texts, Length of texts, No of questions, and Types of questions.
800/3
PAGE 2
From the text, we know that marshes are important because they
A store flood water
B recharge groundwater supplies
C provide water to streams
Points to ponder
What skill is tested?
Distinguishing the relevant from the irrelevant
How did you arrive at the answer?
Options A and C do not deal with the importance of the actions of storing flood water and
providing water to streams. Option B through the use of recharge emphasises the
importance of marshes.
.
Read the following text and answer the question that follows.
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TEXT 2
I am someone who has always loved language. I spend a great deal of time thinking about
the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea or a simple truth.
Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all all the Englishes I grew up with.
MUET October 2003
Points to ponder
What reading skill is tested by this question?
*making inference
Read the following text and answer the question that follows.
800/3
PAGE 4
Read the following text and answer the question that follows.
TEXT 3
Most Americans do not intentionally make insects a part of their diet. But in the future they might.
As more strain is put on natural resources, some experts say, insects will be raised as an alternative
form of protein. David George Gorgon, a biologist and the author of The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook, says
entomophagy is a more environmentally friendly practice. If more people did their part to eat bugs
and broaden their diets and not just go out and eat chicken, beef and pork the planet would be
better off, he said. It takes an incredible amount of food, water and land to raise cattle, he says,
compared to raising the equivalent amount of protein in grasshoppers.
Today, US children are not as squeamish about bugs as their parents, thanks to nature centres,
museums and zoos throughout the country that frequently teach school programmes about insects as
food sources. Older students are learning about entomophagy too. About 12 insect festivals are held
each year, like the Bug Bowl at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The popular festival
started in 1990 and attracts more than 10000 people. Besides munching on chocolate-covered
crickets, visitors can go to an insect petting zoo, cockroach race or cricket-spitting contest. There is
even a publication packed with information and recipes on crawling invertebrates. The Food Insect
Newsletter has about a thousand subscribers ranging from students and professors and Peace
Corps volunteers.
MUET April 2006
800/3
PAGE 5
20 minutes
AIM:
Ask CPs to read TEXT 4 and answer the questions that follow.
Ask CPs to note down the clues and strategies which they have used to arrive at the
answer.
TASK SHEET: 4
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.
For millennia, grey whales had wintered in Laguna San Ignacio, one of many isolated lagoons
along the Mexican coast. They were not bothered by the presence of natural enemies around
them. Then, in 1845, two whalers sailed into this lagoon and discovered that it was a breeding
sanctuary.
The grey whales, however, were not easy prey. Protective females were demonic defenders of
their newborns. They charged whaling boats and injured or killed crew members. Whalers had
dangerous encounters with other types of whales, but the greys were the only ones they called
Devil Fish.
In the end, the greys were no match for their hunters. The whalers blocked the lagoon and
turned it into a giant trap. What followed was a methodical slaughter that made the once-quiet
lagoon run red with blood of dying whales. Their carcasses were floated to the beach, and the
blubber was boiled on the spot for oil. Whalebone and baleen were taken to be sold for corset
stays, brushes and umbrella spokes. As petroleum replaced whale oil as fuel, the greys were
killed primarily for pet food.
Extracted from The Mystery of the Friendly Whales
By Paula McDonald,
Readers Digest, October 1995
1. What supports the idea that the grey whales were no match for the hunters?
The whalers found a way to trap the whales.
2. What is paragraph 2 all about?
The grey whales were not easy prey.
800/3
PAGE 6
3. Did the whalers find the grey whales the most challenging to hunt? Why?
Yes, they did. The grey whales injured and killed crew members.
4. What does the phrase they in paragraph 2 refer to?
This word refers to the female whales.
5. What does the phrase methodical slaughter in paragraph 3 refer to?
The phrase refers to the step by step method in which the whales are killed.
6. What do you think will happen to the whales in ten years time?
(Possible response) They might become extinct.
800/3
PAGE 7
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PAGE 8
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PAGE 9
10
WHILE READING
Study the chart on Chinas billionaire club and read the text on Chinas rich getting younger.
Then answer the questions that follow.
Xu Rongmao
diversified (US$2.0bil)
real estate (US$1.9bil)
paper making, recycling (US$1.5bil)
real estate (US$1.45bil)
solar energy (US$1.43bil)
animal feed (US$1.16bil)
real estate, steel (US$1.15bil)
auto parts (US$1.14bil)
Extracted from The Star, November 3, 2006
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11
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PAGE 11
12
ANSWER KEY
1. Chinas consumer market is increasing rapidly.
A True
B False
C Not Stated
2.
The real estate business seems to contribute towards making billionaires in China.
A True
B False
C Not Stated
If you were a billionaire, how would you spend your fortune? Why?
800/3
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13
horrors
Joyful
excited
stress
anxiety
glad
unhappy
afraid
success
failed
proud
Comprehension Check
1. What do you think Anita
Desai does for a living?
2. Which word describes
Anitas reputation as a
famous novelist?
3. Who woke her up on Oct 11?
Why?
4. Rewrite the sentence which
means. Anita is under even
greater pressure now that her
daughter is a nominee.
PAGE 13
14
Question [Answer]
Skill
making inferences
making inferences
POST-READING ACTIVITY
Compose a poem to express your appreciation for your mother. You plan to include this poem in
a Mothers Day greeting card. Your poem should not be longer than 3 stanzas.
800/3
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15
PRE-READING ACTIVITY
MOTHERS CHOICE
TASK: 7
TIME: 7 minutes
AIM: To prepare CPs to engage with a reading text on the properties of medicinal plants.
ORGANISATION: Groups of 4
PROCEDURE:
Ask CPs to list as many local herbs or plants and their uses. Trainer may cite an example.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
There are many local herbs and plants which have medicinal properties. Think of some of them
and complete the table below.
Local herbs/ plants
Misai Kucing
Pegaga leaves
Pandan Laut
Henna Leaves
Uses
To reduce high blood pressure
To maintain youth
To prevent kidney stones
To dye hair
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16
INTRODUCTION
Reading skills involve the ability to recognise and make use of linguistic, discourse and stylistic
clues to interact with and process the text, besides the ability to summarise its contents. A reader
will employ both top-down and bottom-up processing strategies to engage with the text. This part
consists of four tasks.
The first task requires you to demonstrate your ability to get at the gist or main idea of
the text that you process.
The second task requires you to process a substantial piece of writing and answer the
questions that are sign-posted throughout the text.
The third task requires you to detect the writers views, attitudes or intentions. You will
do this by processing given phrases and clauses extracted from the text.
The last task in this part necessitates processing at word level and focuses specifically on
vocabulary.
THE POINT IS
800/3
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17
TASK: 8
TIME: 40 minutes
AIM: To get CPs to demonstrate their ability to get at the gist or main idea of the text that they
process.
ORGANISATION: Pair work
PROCEDURE:
Distribute handout to CPs.
Tell CPs to attempt the exercise in pairs.
Invite responses and ask CPs how they arrived at the answer.
Read the paragraph carefully and then choose the statement that best summarises the main idea of
the paragraph. Indicate your choice by ticking the appropriate box.
Paragraph 1
Malaysian rainforests support about 1200 species of plants with medicinal properties,
of which 60 are commonly used in traditional remedies. For example, kacip fatimah
(Labisia pumila) is widely used in postnatal care, as a womens tonic, and for
gynaecological problems. And a powder made from the root of mata ayam (Ardisia
crenata) can alleviate fever and diarrhoea. Until recently, the use of indigenous rainforest
plants for medicinal remedies was confined largely to rural folks and the traditional
medicine men. However, change is underway. From the mid-1990s, the government has
encouraged investigation and development of herbal medicines.
ANSWER KEY
800/3
PAGE 17
18
OF FORGOTTEN TREASURES
TASK SHEET: 9
TIME: 30 minutes
AIM: To get CPs to process a substantial piece of writing and answer the questions that are
sign-posted throughout the text.
ORGANISATION: Pair work
PROCEDURE:
A. CPs as learners
Get CPs to share their responses. At this point, there may be diverse answers and a
discussion may ensue.
800/3
Tell CPs that the text without the inserted questions is actually an examination text.
Tell CPs to look at the text again and identify the relevant reading skills.
Tell CPs overtly how the text used for testing has been adapted into a teaching text.
PAGE 18
19
TASK SHEET: 9
INSTRUCTION: Read the text, answer the sign-posted questions.
1
What two
plants
mentioned
have
medicinal
properties?
Why do you
think the
IMR was
directed to
conduct the
research?
800/3
What is the
main idea
here?
10
15
20
Locate 3
statements
which
indicate that
the
government
wishes to
exploit the
medicinal
value of
plants.
Name some
of the
illnesses
that can be
cured with
traditional
herbs.
25
30
According to
the passage,
what would
be the impact
of
deforestation
on
rainforests?
PAGE 19
6
Why are
people
more aware
of the local
flora?
20
It is found that most ingredients can be cultivated, but about 15 per cent
including tongkat ali, kacip fatimah and mengkunyit refused to grow
anywhere except in the rainforest. Consequently, many local manufacturers in
the burgeoning herbal products industry raise these herbs on small plots in the
forests.
Discovering Malaysias herbal wealth has not only increased
understanding and appreciation of the local flora but it has also given rise to a
flourishing local herbal products manufacturing industry. This has made it all
the more important that Malaysia should conserve and sustain its unique
rainforests.
35
What does
the word
this refer
to?
40
ANSWER KEY
Question
What is the main idea here?
Answer
Plants with medicinal values have
monetary value as well.
Skill
Identifying main
ideas
Extracting
specific
information
Extracting
specific
information
Understanding
relationships
between
sentences
Extracting
specific
information,
making
inferences
Malaria,
cancer tumours in rats
Extracting
specific
information
Distinguishing
the relevant from
the irrelevant
800/3
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21
Understanding
the relationship
between
sentences
Appraising
information,
drawing
conclusions,
understanding
relationships
between
sentences
A OR C?
TASK: 10
TIME: 5 minutes
AIM: To get CPs to detect the writers views, attitudes or intentions by processing given
phrases extracted from the text.
ORGANISATION: Pair work
PROCEDURE:
ANSWER KEY
From the text it is apparent that the writer expresses his appreciation for the medicinal values of
rainforests as well as his grave concern for the future of these forests.
Reproduced below are clauses and a phrase used by the writer. Write A if you think the clause /
phrase expresses appreciation and C if it signals concern.
800/3
1) change is underway.
( A )
( C )
( C )
PAGE 21
( A )
( C )
6) ... the ministry has also set up a Task Force on Herbal Medicine
( A )
22
IN OTHER WORDS
TASK: 11
TIME: 7 minutes
AIM: To get CPs to process at word level and focus specifically on vocabulary.
ORGANISATION: Pair work
PROCEDURE:
Distribute task sheet to CPs and set them on task.
Invite responses and ask CPs how they arrived at the answer.
ANSWER KEY
Find words in the text that convey the meanings listed in the table below. The paragraph
in which the word is found is identified for you.
Paragraph
2
2
3
4
5
6
7
800/3
Word
remedies
alleviate
Meaning
medications
relieve or help in reducing pain,
gear
indigenous
discomfort or illnesses
to pitch something at a certain level
native or originating where something is
cultivation
burgeoning
sustain
found
growing crops or plants
growing or expanding
supply with necessities and support
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POST-READING ACTIVITY
READING COMES ALIVE
TASK: 12
TIME: 15 minutes
ORGANISATION: Groups of 4
PROCEDURE:
800/3
Aloe Vera
Cucumber
Turmeric
Pandan leaves
Hibiscus leaves
Ginger
Henna
Papaya
Pegaga
Serai
PAGE 23
24
INSTRUCTIONS:
Discuss the uses of the herb/ plant that your group has received.
WORKSHOP
PACKING IT ALL
TASK: 13
TIME: 2 hours
AIM: To get CPs to develop teaching materials.
ORGANISATION: Groups of 4
PROCEDURE:
Distribute task sheet and a past-year 800/3 Reading paper to each group.
Inform CPs to refer to Teachers Guide to MUET and Test Specifications to carry out the
task.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Work in groups of 4.
800/3
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25
REFLECTION GRID
TASK 14
AIM:To reflect on what you have done throughout the Reading session.
ORGANISATION: Individual work
Content/Activity
What I plan to do
in my MUET class
Notes
SO WHATS NEW?
800/3
PAGE 25
26
Content/Activity
What I plan to do
in my MUET class
Notes
MOTHERS CHOICE
THE POINT IS
OF FORGOTTEN
TREASURES
A OR C?
IN OTHER WORDS
800/3
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PACKING IT ALL
SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS
Read the following texts and complete the tasks with your partners.
TEXT 1
Just 25 years ago, medical researchers boasted that victory against infectious disease was
simply a matter of time. Polio had been tamed by the Salk/Sabin vaccines, and smallpox,
diphtheria, and tetanus were virtually gone. Moreover, widespread antibiotic use had
transformed the most terrifying diseases known to man into manageable illnesses, if caught in
time. Many who went to medical school were told not to bother going into infectious diseases
and that it was better to concentrate on real problems like cancer and heart diseases.
MUET Oct 2003
TEXT 2
Anyone who has taken a careful look at our society is concerned with the effects of TV.
Much of this concern has to do with how TV affects people of school age. Most young
people watch more than twenty hours of TV per wee; many more hours than what they
spent in reading. Because TV glamorizes violence, sex and crime some experts fear it can
have a serious impact on the thinking of viewers. There is a further fear that people elected
to high public offices get there because of how they appear on TV. Their images seem more
important than their knowledge or public record. Clever advertising on TV leads some
viewers to buy luxury items they do not need. Many teachers now feel that they must
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PAGE 27
entertain their students in order to compete with TV.
28
TEXT 3
Read the following text and answer the question.
Some people often see their cars as an extension of their egos. But the horsepower of a car
is very quickly expropriated and adapted to become the power of the motorist. Every
person is born with an inferior feeling. Hes much smaller than all the people around him,
and there are a thousand things that he cannot do. We all dream of some day becoming
Superman. Driving cars allows us partially to satisfy this wish. It is no coincidence that
cars often carry the names of aggressive animals or speedy winds such as Wildcat,
Mustang, Fury and Thunderbird.
MUET April 2004
1. The writer substantiates his view that `Every person is born with an inferior
feeling by saying that man
A. has so many dreams and owning a car is like a dream come true
B. sees himself as smaller than the rest of the world and wants to be noticed
C. gives cars the names of aggressive animals and speedy winds so that they can
feel superior
Points to ponder
What skill is tested?
Following the development of a point or an argument.
How did you get the answer?
i) Read through the question.
ii) The phrase `the writer justifies indicates that you will have to follow the development of the
point made in order to get the answer.
iii) Look at the text again . The sentence after` Every person is born with an inferior feeling
supports why man feels inferior through words like smaller, things he cannot do and the
word Superman in the next sentence suggests mans need to overcome the inferior feeling.
800/3
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TEXT 4
There are several styles of Tai Chi, but most of them start with a series of controlled movements,
or forms. You can choose from among the growing number of classes offered at recreational
centres and health clubs. These have the added benefit of combining instruction with a chance to
meet new people. Either way, the goal is to move at your own pace. As a Tai Chi master puts it,
Pain is no gain.
MUET April 2005
Points to ponder
What skill is tested?
How did you arrive at the answer?
TEXT 5
The best thing about Tai Chi is that people enjoy it, so they are more likely to stick with it long
enough to get some benefit. Tai Chi may not always top the list of exercises but it is suitable for
people of all ages. Although younger people probably need more of an aerobic challenge, they
can benefit from Tai Chis capacity to reduce stress. Tai Chi has the added benefit of allowing
practitioners to practice at their own pace coupled with the opportunity to widen their social
circle. It helps when something that is good for you is also fun.
MUET April 2005
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30
c. Not stated
Points to ponder
What skill is tested?
deriving the meaning of words, phrases, sentences from the context
What information did you draw from the text to arrive at your answer?
Use of contextual clues as found in line 1 a series of controlled movements, or forms and in
line 4 to move at your own pace
TEXT 6
As they get older, adolescents from lower-income families often make compromises in
their career plans. They lower their career aspirations and aim toward the jobs they think
they can get rather than the jobs they may most want.
MUET December 2001 p15
800/3
Points to ponder
What is the level of questioning here?
High - complex processing of text
Low- answer is very obvious in the text / direct
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TEXT 7
FORMULATING QUESTIONS
Read the following extract and complete the task below.
Bookshops and publishers in Malaysia may already be reading the final chapters of their
evolution story and the epilogue may not be a happy one. Faced with a dwindling reading
society, illegal photocopying of literary works and books, higher operating costs and lower
returns, the odds appear to be heavily stacked against them. In the first place, their foundation
has grossly weakened since Malaysians read an average of only two books a year. The number is
not expected to increase anytime soon since books are facing formidable competition from other
sources of knowledge such as information and entertainment, including television and the
Internet.
The advent of technology is also changing the landscape of the book retailing business, such as
new methods for promotion and selling. Internet-based electronic commerce has redefined how
consumers want to shop. The trend is expected to gradually take prominence in the book retailing
fraternity.
Customers are not static and readers preference will change with age. The online book business
will gradually become an important distribution channel with the information technology-savvy
readers. Time-cost, comfort and convenience are increasingly becoming vital factors in consumer
buying decisions, said C.P.Lua, general manager for operations of MPH Bookstore Sdn.Bhd.
Extracted from: New Straits Times, 1 Nov 2006
d)
e)
32
making inferences
drawing conclusions
Suggested Questions :
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
800/3
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