Lesson plan – TOEFL Reading Workshop

Date June 10, 2019 Time 19:30

Teacher Susana Caicedo
Language Function Point: - Understand the goal of the Reading Comprehension section
of the test.
- Learn some tips for the Reading part of the test.
- Know the question types in this section of the test.
Level of Language Advanced Time 60 min
Function Point:
Presumed Student Advanced
Knowledge
Personal Goal
Context Creation Time: 2 min
- Ask students about their motivations to take the TOEFL test
(education, work, travel, etc.).
- Ask them where they would like to use their English once
they obtain the level they need/want to obtain. (USA,
Europe, Australia, etc.)
Method Warm-up
Time: 5 min
Ask students to answer with short sentences and discuss later.
1. Show students a photograph of a college class:

2. Ask students:
a. What is shown in the picture? People in a
classroom.
b. What is their occupation? They are college students.
c. What are they doing? Taking an exam or a class.
d. Could this be at a University in an English speaking
country? Yes
e. Are students expected to read? Yes
f. Do they have to read short simple texts or long
academic texts? Long technical texts.

3. Conclusion: Ask students why there is a reading

comprehension part in the TOEFL test according to their
previous answers?
Answer: This part of the TOEFL tests your ability to read academic
English. This is important if you want to succeed at an English
college or university. Students are given large amounts of reading
in most post-secondary courses in the US.

Controlled practice

OVERVIEW
1. Discovery activity:
Time: 10 min
Material: Worksheet
1.1. Ask students to work by pairs to answer the following questions:

Choose TRUE or FALSE:

TRUE FALSE
You should practice looking for the main X
idea by reading quickly through a passage
It is necessary for you to understand X
everything in a reading passage.
There will be many terms that you do not X
recognize
If you need to know the meaning of a X
word you can try to identify the root
word, stem, and part of speech
There are about 10 question types. X
There is one question for each question X
type.
1.2 Verify their answers.

2. QUESTION TYPES
Time: 10 min
Material: Pieces of paper with titles, definitions and examples.

2.1. Ask students to work in groups. They will receive a set of

QUESTION TYPES and a set of examples or definitions of these
question types. They should try to match the QUESTION TYPE
with the corresponding definition or example.

Name and definition in one piece of paper and example in another

one.

Alternative activity: Give students the definition of each question

type and then ask them to match it with the examples.

QUESTION TYPE DEFINITION/EXAMPLE

Detail/Fact (3-6 per According to the
set) passage...
According to paragraph
1, why/what/which...
 The author's description
of ...mentions which of
the following...
Negative Fact (0-2) All of the following are Factual and
mentioned in the Negative Factual
passage EXCEPT: questions ask about
According to the specific details and
passage which of the facts that are often
following is NOT... provided in a single
line of text.
Sometimes you will
be directed to the
paragraph that
contains the
answer.
Inference/Implication Which of the following You will have to
(0-2) can be inferred about ... make connections
In paragraph 3, the and assumptions to
author implies... answer this style of
question. Unlike
factual questions,
answers will not
often be found in a
single line of text.
Vocabulary (3-5) The word...in paragraph The meaning of the
2 is closest in meaning term is often
to... understood by
When the author says ... reading the
is....she means... surrounding text.
You will not be
asked to define
vocabulary that is
uncommon, subject
related, or cannot
be understood in
context.
Author purpose (0-2) In paragraph 5, why These questions ask
does the author you to do things
discuss... such as figure out
The author reasons why certain
mentions...as an topics are discussed
example of... or certain examples
are provided. Again
you will be asked to
make assumptions.
Reference questions The word ... in These questions
(0-2) paragraph 3 refers to... generally ask you to
identify a noun or
phrase that a
pronoun is referring
to
Insert sentence to the Look at the four squares These questions
reading (0-1) that indicate where this require that you
sentence can be added look for transitional
to the passage. Where phrases or other
would the sentence fit hints to figure out
best? where the
additional sentence
belongs. Make sure
that the position
you choose for the
new sentence
makes sense by
reading the
sentence before
and after. After you
have made your
choice, read all
three sentences to
yourself to check if
the paragraph flows
well.
Simplify the sentence Which of the following When answering
(0-1) best provides the this question make
important information sure that you do not
in the highlighted choose a sentence
sentence from the that is slightly
passage. Incorrect incorrect. All of the
answer choices leave important
out essential information from
information or change the sentence must
the meaning of it. be in the simplified
sentence.
Summary (0-1) An introductory Remember that
sentence for a summary only the most
of the passage is found important parts of
below. Complete the the passage will
summary by choosing appear in the
the THREE answer summary. Look at
choices that contain the the topic sentences
most imporant ideas in of the passage for
the passage. Some help when
sentences do not fit in answering this
the summary because question. Some
they provide ideas that choices will be too
are not mentioned in detailed, or will be
the passage or are only incorrect.
minor ideas from the
passage. This question is
worth 2 points.
Fill in the chart (0-1) Complete the table in Remember that not
order to summarize the all of the
information about .... statements or
Match the statements examples have to fit
 to the ... into the chart. Some
do not belong under
any of the headings.

Communicative activity
CHANGE ORDER OF ACTIVITIES 3.2 3.1 3.3
Introduce students with skimming and scanning techniques.

3. Reading comprehension
Time: 25 min
Material: Worksheet
3.1. Ask students to read the following text keeping in mind the tips
they learned in the first activity. Elicit some of those tips.

Most people can remember a phone number for up to thirty

seconds. When this short amount of time elapses, however,
the numbers are erased from the memory. How did the
information get there in the first place? Information that
makes its way to the short term memory (STM) does so via
the sensory storage area. The brain has a filter which only
allows stimuli that is of immediate interest to pass on to the
STM, also known as the working memory.

There is much debate about the capacity and duration of the

short term memory. The most accepted theory comes from
George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist who suggested
that humans can remember approximately seven chunks of
information. A chunk is defined as a meaningful unit of
information, such as a word or name rather than just a letter
or number. Modern theorists suggest that one can increase
the capacity of the short term memory by chunking, or
classifying similar information together. By organizing
information, one can optimize the STM, and improve the
chances of a memory being passed on to long term storage.

When making a conscious effort to memorize something,

such as information for an exam, many people engage in
"rote rehearsal". By repeating something over and over
again, one is able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately,
this type of memory maintenance only succeeds if there are
no interruptions. As soon as a person stops rehearsing the
information, it has the tendency to disappear. When a pen
and paper are not handy, people often attempt to remember
a phone number by repeating it aloud. If the doorbell rings or
the dog barks to come in before a person has the opportunity
to make a phone call, he will likely forget the number
 instantly.* Therefore, rote rehearsal is not an efficient way to
pass information from the short term to long term memory.*
A better way is to practice "elaborate rehearsal". *This
involves assigning semantic meaning to a piece of
information so that it can be filed along with other pre-
existing long term memories.*

Encoding information semantically also makes it more

retrievable. Retrieving information can be done by
recognition or recall. Humans can easily recall memories that
are stored in the long term memory and used often;
however, if a memory seems to be forgotten, it may
eventually be retrieved by prompting. The more cues a
person is given (such as pictures), the more likely a memory
can be retrieved. This is why multiple choice tests are often
used for subjects that require a lot of memorization.

3.2. Ask students to read each of the questions in the reading

comprehension exercise and determine the type of question.
Verify their answers.
3.3. Ask students to answer the questions. They should highlight in
the text the part where the answer was found.
3.4. Verify their answers and explain the justifications.

Reading Comprehension questions:

1. According to the passage, how do memories get transferred

to the STM?

A) They revert from the long term memory.

B) They are filtered from the sensory storage area.
C) They get chunked when they enter the brain.
D) They enter via the nervous system.

Explanation:

 Choice A is the opposite of what happens.

 Choice C is what a person should try to do when
memorizing something.
 Choice D is not mentioned.

The correct answer is B. This is a factual question.

2. The word elapses in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to:

A) passes
B) adds up
C) appears
D) continues
The correct answer is A.This is a vocabulary question.

3. All of the following are mentioned as places in which

memories are stored EXCEPT the:

A) STM
B) long term memory
C) sensory storage area
D) maintenance area

Explanation:

 Choice A is mentioned in the first paragraph.

 Choice B is mentioned in the second paragraph.
 Choice C is mentioned in the first paragraph.

The correct answer is D. This is a negative factual question.

4. Why does the author mention a dog's bark?

A) To give an example of a type of memory

B) To provide a type of interruption
C) To prove that dogs have better memories than humans
D) To compare another sound that is loud like a doorbell

Explanation:

 Choice A is incorrect because it is not the "reason" the

author mentions it.
 Choice C is not mentioned.
 Choice D distracts you because both are mentioned as
examples.

The correct answer is B. This is an author purpose question.

5. Look at the four stars that indicate where this sentence can
be added to the passage. Where would the sentence fit best?

For example, a reader engages in elaborate rehearsal

when he brings prior knowledge of a subject to a text.

The correct answer is fourth * This is a insert text question.

6. How do theorists believe a person can remember more

information in a short time?

A) By organizing it
B) By repeating it
C) By giving it a name
D) By drawing it
Explanation:

 Choice B is what regular people think is true.

 Choice C is not mentioned.
 Choice D is a type of cue for retrieval.

The correct answer is A. This is a factual question.

7. The author believes that rote rotation is:

A) the best way to remember something

B) more efficient than chunking
C) ineffective in the long run
D) an unnecessary interruption

Explanation:

 Choice A is contradicted by "not an efficient way".

 Choice B is incorrect because these two terms are not
compared.
 Choice D is illogical.

The correct answer is C. This is a factual question.

8. The word it in the last paragraph refers to:

A) encoding
B) STM
C) semantics
D) information

The correct answer is D. This is a reference question.

9. The word elaborate in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to:

A) complex
B) efficient
C) pretty
D) regular

The correct answer is A. This is a vocabulary question.

10. Which of the following is NOT supported by the passage?

A) The working memory is the same as the short term memory.

B) A memory is kept alive through constant repetition.
C) Cues help people to recognize information.
D) Multiple choice exams are the most difficult.

Explanation:
  Choice A is mentioned in paragraph one.
 Choice B is mentioned in paragraph three (though an
interruption will destroy it).
 Choice C is mentioned in the last paragraph.

The correct answer is D. This is a negative factual question.

11. The word cues in the passage is closest in meaning to

A) questions
B) clues
C) images
D) tests

The correct answer is B. This is a vocabulary question.

12. Which of the following best provides the important

informaton in the highlighted sentence from the passage.
Incorrect answer choices leave out essential information or
change the meaning of it

A) Prompting is the easiest way to retrieve short term memory

after an extended period of time.
B) A memory can be retrieved by prompting, in a case where it
has been rarely used.
C) It's easier to remember short term memories than long term
memories due to regular prompts.
D) Recalling a long term memory that is often used is easy,
while forgotten memories often require prompting.

Explanation:

 Choice A changes the meaning of the information.

 Choice B leaves out essential information about the
long term memories that are used often.
 Choice C changes the meaning of the information.

The correct answer is D. This is a sentence simplification

question.

13. An introductory sentence for a summary of the passage is

found below. Complete the summary by choosing the THREE
answer choices that contain the most imporant ideas in the
passage. Some sentences do not fit in the summary because
they provide ideas that are not mentioned in the passage or are
only minor ideas from the passage. This question is worth 2
points.

The brain stores information that a person may need in the

immediate future in a place called the short term memory
 (STM).

1. Most people can only remember numbers for a short time.

2. Many psychologists agree that only a certain amount of
information can be stored in the STM at once.
3. Some techniques for memorization don't work because of
potential interruptions.
4) Elaborate rehearsal is generally considered less effective
than rote rehearsal.
5) Assigning meaning to information makes it easier for the
brain to retrieve.

Explanation:

 Choice 1. is a minor example in the passage.

 Choice 2. is the topic of paragraph 2.
 Choice 3. is the topic of paragraph 3.
 Choice 4. incorrect according to the passage.
 Choice 5. is the topic of paragraph 4.

The correct answers are 2, 3, and 5. This is a summary

question.

Wrap-up
Time: 5 min
1. Ask students to remind you of at least three reading
comprehension tips.
2. Ask students to remind you of at least three question types.

Eliciting Techniques
Concept Questions
Anticipated Students
Concerns